pecial vents

Before the establishment of the Simcoe Panorama in 1958, Simcoe held an annual Santa Claus Parade. After many years of bad weather the parades began to dwindle and the floats for the Santa Claus parade were gradually left in Wellington and Clifton parks. The Retail Merchants Committee of Simcoe decided to replace the annual Christmas parade with a "Panorama of Lights", including numerous displays. In 1962 the Simcoe Chamber of Commerce held the first official ceremony to open the Christmas Panorama.

In 1994, the Panorama project was taken over by more than 400 community volunteers. The Panorama has expanded over the years and now includes over 70 displays, 220 spotlights, 65,000 lights, with an annual operating budget of $50,000. Running from the last week of November to the first week of January each year, the Panorama has not only become a major attraction for visitors from various parts of Canada and the United States, but has also contributed greatly to the economic development of Simcoe.

The Norfolk County Agricultural Society held its first annual agricultural show in Simcoe on October 6, 1852. The Society purchased land in Simcoe in 1869 and began to construct buildings to house exhibits during the fair. During this construction period, the fair was held in both Walsingham Centre and Simcoe. The name was changed to Norfolk Union Exhibition in 1886 and in 1907, the name was changed once again to its present name, the Norfolk County Fair. The Norfolk County Fair is now considered to be one of the largest agricultural fairs in Ontario.

Many improvements were made over the years as attendance of the fair increased. In 1949, total attendance was 48,463 and by 1956, more than 63,000 people attended the fair. As a solution to crowding, the Fair Board lengthened the duration of the fair. In 1949 the fair was extended to five days, a sixth day added in 1955, and finally in 1978 the Norfolk County Fair became a seven day event.

During the off season the heated buildings, located on the fairgrounds, are used as public halls, a Curling Rink, the Town Market, and the grounds are used as soccer fields. The Recreation Centre, built by the Town of Simcoe, also provides for ice skating and swimming except during the fair time. By the co-operative use of the grounds and buildings with other organizations, the Norfolk County fairgrounds are recognized as a multi-use recreational area throughout the year.