Due to safety concerns around rising COVID case numbers, we have decided that an in-person event - even outdoors, masked, and with limited capacity - is too much of a risk.
The 2021 Fall Fair will NOT be happening AS PLANNED on October 16th.
​We will keep you informed of our new plans as they develop.

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WHAT IS THE FALL FAIR?

The annual Fall Fair at the First Unitarian Congregation of Ottawa started as a modest endeavour about 1980, initially called the Holly and Lace Bazaar. Over the years it has grown to the extent that it now takes almost 400 volunteers to pull it off!
 
The Fair is a study in Unitarian Universalist principles in action: volunteers having fun getting to know each other, caring for each other, overcoming problems more or less gracefully, laughing, and working together to a common cause – to raise money for the church. The proceeds constitute the second largest fund raising effort of the church, contributing significantly to the operating budget and programs to share our understanding of how universal compassion, tolerance and protection of other species can change lives for the better. These include the many social justice initiatives that are so close to the hearts of the congregation –donations to the food bank, the Stephen Lewis Foundation, or sponsoring refugee families.
 
The Fall Fair is now such a popular annual event that on the morning of the Fair, there is usually already a long line-up before doors open at 9:30am.
However, with COVID restrictions, the numbers will be limited at any one time.
 
Smooth and careful organizing of this event by dedicated volunteers is key to its success. Volunteers mobilize beginning the week before the Saturday fair. While the 12,000 square foot church is usually transformed into a market, this year the Fair will be somewhat reduced and held totally outside. However, you name it – we sell it! (Well, almost.) Everything possible is re-used, re-purposed, or recycled.  Our sales categories include:
Jewelry
Gift Items and Collectibles
Electronics
Music
Books
Toys/Games/Puzzles
Baked Goods and Preserves

Donations, in the above categories, are gratefully received from community businesses, congregants, their friends and family, and anyone looking to move good, but no-longer wanted, treasures. And if they aren’t sold at the Fair, a committed team of volunteers ensure that most of the remaining goods go to community organizations that serve the needy.
 
DON’T MISS IT!

WHEN IS THE FALL FAIR?
October 16, 2019
9:30 AM to 2:30 PM
 While the doors open at 9:30, long time attendees at the Fair start lining up at 8:00 to obtain the best bargains available. However, because of COVID regulations, attendance will be regulated on campus with only 100 people allowed at any one time
 Markdowns are also announced at various times of the day to maximize your savings.

WHERE IS THE FALL FAIR?
First Unitarian Congregation of Ottawa Church
30 Cleary Avenue
Off Richmond Rd.
1 kilometer west of Westboro Village
1 kilometer east of Woodroffe Ave
Free parking is readily available on nearby streets and the area is served by the Number 11 Bus
(stops along Richmond Rd. at Cleary Ave. when going westbound and Redwood Avenue going eastbound)