Gratitude in action: volunteers are the heart of our show

Woodstock, Ont., August 28, 2023 – After 30 years of Canada’s Outdoor Farm Show, it is safe to say the show would not be the same without our indispensable volunteers. It takes a village of people to pull off a 100-acre three-day outdoor farm show, and we are so grateful! 

We have several groups of volunteers who help us at the event each year, one being the farm show Ambassadors. Whether you’re a visitor or exhibitor, the small but mighty group of knowledgeable Ambassadors volunteer their time to help make a visitor’s farm show experience great. 

Ambassadors are retired farmers, professional industry personnel and graduates of the Ontario Agricultural College (OAC) at the University of Guelph. They look forward to being involved in helping the show run smoothly and seeing familiar friends year-over-year. 

“The OAC Ambassadors come with a wealth of knowledge of Canada’s Outdoor Farm Show and the agriculture industry! They are a great fit and definitely an appreciated asset,” says Doug Wagner, Director of Canada’s Outdoor Farm Show and Discovery Farm Woodstock. 

For visitors, Ambassadors are a well-informed and helpful group of people who enhance the farm show experience. They can often be seen leading groups of visitors that attend the show and wearing Canada’s Outdoor Farm Show hats and vests. 

For exhibitors, Ambassadors perform an important variety of tasks to make the exhibitor experience easier. They get to the site before it opens and help with any task exhibitors needed. It’s all in a day’s work. 

Canada’s Outdoor Farm Show also recognizes the community groups that volunteer their time to help with traffic control, keep the show grounds clean and inform visitors. We would like to acknowledge these volunteer groups for their efforts: 

• Burford United Church and Burford Masonic Lodge for their help in the sanitation department 
• Holy Family School for helping at the farm show gates
• Mocha Shriners Motor Corps for helping with parking and directing traffic 
• Rural Oxford Economic Development for providing people to staff the information booths 
• St. Paul’s United Church for helping with ticket sales 
• The Lions of 37S for being the largest food provider at the show  
• The Shakespeare Optimist Club for assisting with manning information booths 
• Tourism Oxford for helping host the VIP & International Business Lounge 

Our heartfelt gratitude and appreciation go to St. Paul’s United Church, Burford Masonic Lodge and the Burford United Church for providing volunteers for the show since it started. 

We wouldn’t be celebrating the 30th anniversary of Canada’s Outdoor Farm Show without our volunteers. With over 40,000 visitors each year, these groups of committed and enthusiastic people make this show possible and we are forever grateful for your hard work and dedication! 

-30-  

For more information contact:  [email protected]