143rd Dresden Exhibition poster. (Photo courtesy of Dresden Exhibition facebook page). 143rd Dresden Exhibition poster. (Photo courtesy of Dresden Exhibition facebook page).
Chatham

143rd Dresden Exhibition Coming This Weekend

Thousands of people will be flocking to Dresden over the next couple of days to enjoy a weekend full of harness racing, tractor pulling, and midway rides.

The 143rd Dresden Exhibition will take place from Friday to Sunday at the Dresden Exhibition Fairgrounds.

"It's really good for the community. It brings in a lot of people. We've got people coming from all over and they get to see what a great community Dresden is and all the stores and everything that we have to offer and how great the people are," says Lucille Laprise, Dresden Agricultural Society president.

She says thousands of people come out each year.

"Every year is different because of the weather," says Laprise. "Sometimes if it's raining or something, it kind of deters the atmosphere for people to come out. Most of the time on a long weekend, like the three-day weekend, we're probably looking at around four to 5,000 people."

Laprise says there's something for everyone at this year's event.

"Friday night, we start off with the parade, which is always a crowd pleaser," says Laprise. "Then we've got our tractor pull, then we've got Cope Amusements, which is our midway this year. Then of course on Saturday morning at 9am, we've got the Soap Box Derby for the kids, which is always very good."

There are also various shows on Saturday featuring cattle, rabbits, babies, and more.

Laprise says new to this year's exhibition is a chocolate cake competition and auction.

"If people are good bakers and they want to try their hand at a competition for a chocolate cake, just look it up on the website. All the instructions and everything are there for the competition and it will be held Saturday morning at 10:30am," she says.

Laprise says the Dresden Ex Show & Sale is another new addition this year and will be held on Saturday from 11am to 7pm at the arena. This is an opportunity for vendors and local entrepreneurs to showcase their handmade goods, products, or businesses.

Starting at 1:30pm on Sunday, the feature will be harness racing.

A full list of the events can be found online.

Read More Local Stories