History of the Prince Albert Exhibition
In the Words of the Pioneer – Lana Alberts
The annual Prince Albert Exhibition began in 1883 and took way with a gala parade. These parades were originally sponsored by travellers and represented a float for every store in Prince Albert. The first exhibitions were similar to a country fair and were primarily agriculture events.
Local citizens made up the majority of the crowd along with people from Shellbrook, Rosthern, and nearby districts who attended the exhibition by special fair trains.
The major portion of the fair constituted of livestock exhibits of horses, cattle, chickens, and rabbits; other displays of local merchants; and women’s canning, cooking, embroidery, and quilting. During the first exhibitions there was a lack of adequate barns available so the livestock stood in the open during the days of the fair.