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In July of 1829, the first fair ever in the Ottawa Valley was held at Wellington and Kent Streets. The fair took place on a field under two rows of tents and boasted vendors, whisky, fiddlers and pipers. It was well-attended by raftsmen, farmers and labourers. The main event of the fair was a horse race down Wellington Street, on which many people had placed bets. Unfortunately, in a time when photo finishes were not yet being used, a close race can result in several angry bettors. The final decision was contentious and a riot was started by those people who thought it unfair. The riot lasted three hours, and Bytown did not have another fair until 1836. On Oct. 3, 1836, seven years after the first fair, the Bathurst Agriculural Society sponsored a Bytown fair. The fair featured ladies' weaving, competition in livestock and produce, and agricultural innovations. It was a great success, and, as a result, the society decided to hold two such fairs per year, in April and October. |
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 In 1847, the city was deeded 24 1/2 acres by the Dominion government, and acquired another 15 acres bought from owners over several years, to make up the grounds of Lansdowne Park. In 1875, the city of Ottawa hosted the 30th annual Exhibition of the Provincial Agriculture and Arts Association. For this purpose, the Ottawa Agricultural Society constructed a new building on the grounds. It is unclear if this building is the Aberdeen Pavilion, which officially opened in 1898. Another fair was held at the grounds in 1877, which set the tone for the theme of innovation at the Ex, still evident in today's exhibition, with the first Canadian public demonstration of the telephone. A third provincial exhibition was held at Lansdowne Park in 1879. In order to provide sufficient space for the subsequent fairs, the City acquired more of Lansdowne Park in 1883 for $25,000, as well as the buildings that were already there.  After the success of these three provincial fairs, a feeling was growing that the exhibition should become an annual event. In March of 1887, an alderman by the name of Lewis discussed with Mayor McLeod Stewart and a group of leading citizens the idea of having an annual fair in Ottawa. Everyone liked the idea, and, on March 21, 1887, the City Council named a civic exhibition committee, with Alderman Lewis as chairman, to study the idea more in-depth. The fair was begun by the community for the community. In July of 1888, the exhibition committee was authorized to have the buildings at Lansdowne Park put in shape to prepare for the September exhibition. It was decided that no more that $1,000 was to be spent on the task. On Thursday, Dec. 1, 1887, during a meeting of the Provisional Directors of the Central Canada Exhibition Association, it was stated that $9,000 had been subscribed for the purpose of running the fair. The first president of the Ottawa exhibition, Charles Magee, was interviewed about this first fair in the Ottawa Journal on Saturday, September 9, 1916; he told of how the $10,000 that was raised took only a matter of days to collect. The Journal's article featured the sub-heading "Getting the Money Was Comparatively Easy as New Fair Was Regarded as Act of Civic Patriotism." The fair was in all senses a community event.  Once preparations are underway, there is still a lot to be done in order to ready a fair for the public. The gathering of the $10,000 was the first step, but there was still much more to be done. In mid-April, 1888, the first regular annual meeting of the Provisional Directors of the CCEA was held. There were 24 directors in all, in positions which were, and still are, volunteer. The directors are elected by the members of the CCEA. Membership is open to anyone, and, in 1888, cost only $5. On April 26th, the board appealed to the Ontario Legislature, resulting in the adoption of the Act of Incorporation and Bylaws. The CCEA was incorporated under the Agricultural Societies Act of the Province of Ontario as a non-profit organization.
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