President’s Message
Welcome to the 2026 Russell Fair!
The Russell Agricultural Society is working through a strategic plan this year! We have developed a new mission – R.A.S. fosters agricultural education and community connection by creating inclusive opportunities in Russell Township and surrounding areas. We are pleased to work collaboratively with so many volunteer organizations in Russell Township and beyond and enjoy their support as we present many events throughout the year. We also value the commitment of the Township of Russell in supporting us in all our endeavours.
We are grateful to those sponsors who provide financial and in-kind donations to help present our events and activities. Our undertaking in 2025 was to highlight the sponsors with reels on social media. We value the time they took to give us some insight into their business, but we were overwhelmed by the message so many had that they wanted to support the fair because it brought the community together.
The agricultural society depends on volunteers for all of our events! Our Board of Directors are all volunteers, giving up an evening a month just for board meetings and there are committee meetings and work to be done beyond that. There is an army of people in the community who step up to volunteer to help us do what we do and we truly value that contribution. In Russell we are very fortunate to have students from three high schools to help out when needed as a means to gain their requirements to complete 40 hours of volunteer work. This helps out with our needs, but we hope that those students gain an appreciation for giving back to their community and learn more about agriculture and how organizations work.
We are very pleased to be able to bring our fair customers so much entertainment, education and fun for free once they are through the gates! We welcome all those who return each year and welcome new residents of this growing community to see what we have to offer!
The Russell Agricultural Society looks forward to seeing you to our 2026 Russell Fair!
Liz O’Gorman-Smit – President