For families like the Haass, the Millbrook Fair is about tradition. Since its debut in1975, Ed Haass has participated in the Truck and Tractor Pull at the Millbrook Fair.
In those days participants used their working tractors, and his was a 1951 Farmall M. He was on a tractor again last week, pulling in the Vintage Tractor Class, making it his 50th year of competition at the Fair. The year the Fair was cancelled due to Covid, he pulled in an off-season event so he has pulled for 51 consecutive years. His children and grandchildren have followed his lead, with grandson Tanner competing in the pulls for many years, and great-grandson Levi joining in this year.
Ed’s son Brian operates Haass Acres just east of Millbrook on the family farm which Ed purchased in the late 1960’s when he moved his family from Oshawa to have room for a larger Holstein herd. Ed remembers long days working in all kinds of weather on a tractor with no cab, and using a pager to ask his wife to call him back in 10 minutes while he took a brief nap hoping that reprieve would keep him alert enough to finish the field he was working. Farming work was hard, the hours were long and the rewards very volatile, so Ed strongly suggested that his children find alternative careers. They did not heed his advice. Today almost all of Brian Haass family members work for the family farm business. They grow crops on 2,000 acres, provide custom services on many more, and offer trucking services to a variety of farming and non-farming customers. Brian’s brother Neil also operates a related business, operating Kawartha Hydraulics which is located on the family farm on Wallace Point Rd.
Brian Haass explains that for local farm families, the Millbrook Fair represents both a target and a destination. The start of the fair, always the second weekend in June, is the self-imposed deadline to have all crops planted. Historically, going to the fair was the opportunity to celebrate this seasonal milestone with neighbouring farmers. This social connection was very important to them as farming was a particularly solitary business before the advent of modern technology such as cell phones. This celebration is just a brief break in the action on the farm. The foundation for the season has been laid but there is plenty more work ahead to produce a successful year.
This celebration came with a great deal of extra work. Volunteers organize events, recruit sponsors and participants, setup the grandstands and show rings, grade the tracks and hire bands. They also pray for good weather. Much of this work is provided by a group of local farm families whose names appear on the list of Directors and Past Presidents of the Fair, including Brackenridge, Brotherstone, Fair, Grove, Lang, Lowery, McCamus, Post, Sargent, Winslow and more. Whether they are competing on the track, in the ring or in the baking auction, for these families the Fair is about having fun and celebrating a traditional way of life that is often underappreciated. This annual event provides those on the outside a glimpse of their world. Thanks for the Fair.