taking care of the weekender september 251993 p23 elizabeth botsikos correspondent although it might seem that the world turns on a dollar the real essence of the markham fair organization is its commitment to the community and not to making money were a business dedicated to the community affirmed david morrison manager of the markham fair the markham fair and its fair grounds is actually owned and operated by the markham and east york agricultural society a nonprofit corporation which began in 1844 and functions under the ministry of agriculture we receive some grant money from the federal and provincial government in recognition that the fair is a promotion of agriculture and excellence through competi tion said morrison but it is not a lot of money nor a key factor in our operation for a fair this size the only real source of revenue is from paid admissions and from the concessionaires it costs a lot to run the fair almost 700000 in fact but regardless of the income the money always goes back into the fair weather friend or foe morrison noted that weather is a big factor and if it is bad then we might have some red ink but if it is good then we can have a profit some of that profit goes to sup port the markham community we support baseball and hockey teams the hospital and quite a few youth sports groups its a way for us to reach into the community on a year round basis he said another way in which the fair reaches into the community is through the many service clubs that use the fair as a forum to ser vice the community i think its fair to say that almost every service club within a 30 mile radius is represented atthe fair said morrison the prime clubs such as the lions the kins men and the rotary all have per manent facilities at the fairgrounds and its worthy of note that when people buy a hamburger from the lions club for example the money goes directly back into the community 50 to 60 events a year although the fair is the only event that the markham and east york agricultural society actually runs there are still close to 50 or 60 fivents a year that take place on therairgrounds our mandate in the broad sense is to improve the quality of life in the community so as things come up we look at them and assess if they would be good for the community said morrison a lot of people would be amazed at the impact that the markham fair facility has on the communi ty for instance the snowmobile show which comes up after the fair is the worlds largest as a result literally every hotel in town is full there are many people from outoftown representing winter lodges who come to this running the markham fair and the fairgrounds is a major endeavour with a true community spirit show and they generate income for all of markham in spite of being handicapped geographically by its proximity to the many attractions around toron to the markham fair is still the largest four day fair in ontario attracting nearly 80000 people it takes a lot of people to make a fair this size work and many people would be surprised to learn that almost all of the people working at the fair are unpaid the real strength of our organization is our volunteers said morrison peo ple are often unaware that were the largest nonprofitbased volun teer organization in canada with over 500 volunteers in over 70 committees if you analyze that its an enormous crosssection of the fiber of our community when you get that many people it reflects strongly on what we are what we do and what markham is morrison concluded by saying the fair is a good wholesome fair that features everything with an old country flavour parking is free the food and entertainment are great the rates are good and everyone is welcomed here for a dollar value theres nothing com parable a b e t i f u l garden is one- of lifes great pleasures if your garden is just a little cess beautifuc than it could be let the everts at arkane workjwith you to create a unique garden that harmonizes with thenatural environment and compliments your individual taste and lifestyle we are offering 25 off all designs and 10 off construction contracted before october 15 1993 ihis is our way of encouraging you to taf action now so that you do not miss even one single day of garden enjoyment in the spring to retain the fall discount present this ad to a parklane representative parklane model gardens model gardens garden tours professional consultation product information and displays nursery seminars and workshops on stouffville road 12 mile east of highway 404 4168875851 par kl an e or oxer t rer aeraar kids are special friday is kids day all rides reduced til 700 pm special shows displays demonstrations everyday conklin shows is coimiifcj mm pet show open to all pets of children 14 years and under just bring your pet to the livestock arena at 430 pm on friday oct 1st and enter under one or more of the following classes 1 smallest dog 2 dog with shortest tail 3 dog with longest ears 4 dog with longest tail 5 cat with longest tail 6 cat with longest whiskers 7 best guinea pig 8 rabbit with longest whiskers 9 rabbit with shortest tail 10 rabbit with longest ears 11 best farm pet 12 most unusual pet 13 best dressed pet 14 pet with best trick best in show special award