So you might be asking yourself: Ok... the Maberly Fair sounds absolutely amazing-- like a rip-roarin' good time-- but just where on Earth is this place?! 

Excellent question.

Although we have tried to make it clear for visitors to this website (the map in the sidebar on the right side of your PC or Mac screen) or at the bottom of your mobile screen, the contact information in the footer section at the bottom of every screen, and scattered social links), it would be our genuine pleasure to tell you more about our beautiful little neighbourhood...

The Village of Maberly, Ontario

Nestled in the woods and pastures just off the main line: Maberly, Ontario is located at the southwestern corner of Lanark County in the Tay Valley Township, about a fifteen minute drive from the Town of Perth on that main line, Highway 7.

Following along the banks of the often picturesque Tay River, Tay Valley Township includes the communities of Althorpe, Bathurst Station, Bells Corners, Bolingbroke, Bolingbroke Siding, Brooke, Christie Lake, DeWitts Corners, Elliot, Fallbrook, Feldspar, Playfairville, Scotch Line, Glen Tay, Pratts Corners, Harper, Wemyss and Stanleyville (and Maberly, of course).  

That sounds like a lot of people, doesn't it?!

Well... It is almost 550 square kilometers, so there's lots of room. But the most recent data suggests that there is room, indeed... to stretch.

Some Tay Valley Township Number Crunchin'

The Tay Valley Township has a total population of just over 5500 people, living in roughly 2100 dwelllings. That's about ten people (and less than four dwellings) per square kilometer. 

Granted: these numbers don't account for the Town of Perth or Smiths Falls, both being large enough to have independent municipalities (but still not relatively big populations). 

At any rate, with all that free space and clean air, it becomes easy to see why the rural farming community here in the Tay Valley is so strong. 

And that must be why every popular attraction is outdoors!

As this website is about Maberly, Ontario (and the Fair!), we won't get too far down any of these rabbit holes (you may, however, see the odd link to a separate page about that particular topic, and we will include a few relevant links at the bottom of this page). But we figure, while you're at the Fair celebrate Ontario farmers, you should should at least have a few other reasons to remember your visit...

So here are a few of the naturally wonderful things you'll see in and around Lanark County:

The Tay River in the Town of Perth

The Tay River is not to be confused, either, with the River Tay in Scotland. 

And the Ontario Tay River goes through much of Lanark County, so Perth certainly isn't the only place you can stop and admire it. But its slow saunter through Stewart Park in center of the Town of Perth sets quite the extraordinary scene for picnics or an afternoon stroll. It really is worth a side trip.

The Tay River- 95 kilometers long, and draining an 850 square kilometer area- splits into two channels and then reunites as it moves through Perth, before it continues on to the Rideau River and eventually to the Saint Lawrence River.

But on with the tour...

The Trans Canada Trail and the Rideau Trail

I hope you have some energy because we're talking about a lot of trail.

The Rideau Trail is a hiking trail with a total length of 387 kilometers, and it connects Ottawa to Kingston, passing through both Perth and Smiths Falls along the way. Trail pedestrians pass everything from flat riverside farmland to much more rocky and rugged landscapes.

Notice the Rideau Trail map we've included is focused only on the stretch through the Tay Valley. Lanark County- and the Town of Perth and Smiths Falls- asks that the Rideau Trail be only used for hiking, running, snowshoeing and cross-country skiing.

The Trans Canada Trail- recently dubbed "The Great Trail"- is much, much longer!

Quite literally, this recreational trail is intended to stretch the length of our entire country, touching the coasts of the Atlantic, Pacific and Arctic Oceans... It is hence claimed to be the world's longest network of trails. 

The development of this epic Trans Canada Trail map began almost three decades ago, in 1992. And, while it has been promoted lately as having been finished, there are parts of it which require cyclists and pedestrians to use roads and highways. 

The Trans Canada Trail map (as it is today, and according to future plans) is also dependent on land offered and maintained voluntarily... And much of it is laid upon old rail lines, based on an earlier American "rails to trails" initiative. 

So the present and future of The Great Trail is a bit ambiguous, to say the least...
But it's here now, and it travels through Lanark County. So there.

Anything else? Hmm...

Oh Yeah! Silver Lake: Ontario fishing at its best, and a Provincial Park!

And it's right in Maberly! 

It's not the biggest park, but there are two good reasons to come to Silver Lake, Ontario: fishing and hiking. A clean, quiet lake full of bass, trout, perch and pike. And gorgeous scenery. 

Ta-Da! Maberly, Ontario and Lanark County in a Nutshell.

There you have it...

And it really is a nutshell, a very short list even for a shortlist. 
There's lots to do in Lanark County! From bars and restaurants, to museums and flea markets, to our world-famous [maple shacks- link to blog post].

And we're all about the Ontario farmers, right? What about orchards and farmer's markets? Berry picking before stopping at a few barnside produce stands?

Yeah... You should be able to find a few things to do. In fact, you'll be lucky to find the time to see everything. 

Or... who even cares a lick: with these big smiles and wide open skies...
Life's easy in the country.

So take some time out with the family
for the Maberly, Ontario Agricultural Fair.
But do stay for a spell in Lanark County,
if only for a well-deserved breath of fresh air.
- Anonymous Poet

Continue to the next page to meet the people behind the Maberly Fair, and the organizations they support.

Or check out these links we promised you:

1. Lanark County tourism information.
2. More about The Great Trans Canada Trail.
3. The historic Town of Perth, Ontario.