The board of directors for Abbotsford Agrifair says derogatory messages posted on the event’s Facebook page over the weekend will not be tolerated.
The messages, which have since been deleted, were posted Saturday (July 16) in relation to the We are One Drag and Comedy Show being hosted Saturday, July 30 at Agrifair.
“The Agrifair board will not tolerate name-calling, disrespect and hateful comments. This is not the Abbotsford we know and love,” the board said in a statement posted Monday to the Facebook page.
“Agrifair is an inclusive environment aiming to bring entertainment that reflects our community and will be well attended. There is no agenda but to entertain people.”
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Fair manager Graham Vanstone told The News that some of the messages were aimed at Agrifair, questioning why they were holding a drag show, while others turned into personal attacks against him.
Vanstone said the Agrifair board decided to hold the show as a way to become “more inclusive” of the community.
“We have Christian concerts and we have Indo-Canadian concerts and we have Indigenous concerts and performances. We’re trying to just represent the entire community,” he said.
The Facebook post from the board commends Vanstone for his work in ensuring Agrifair continued during the pandemic – as a drive-thru event in 2020 and a smaller in-person version last year.
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“We are grateful we have a fair manager who loves the fair as the volunteer board does and aims to continue to evolve our fair to reflect the community,” the message states.
The We are One Drag and Comedy Show takes place July 30 at 9:30 p.m. and is headlined by Scarlett BoBo from Canada’s Drag Race.
Agrifair runs July 29 to 31 at Abbotsford Exhibition Park. Visit agrifair.ca for more information.
vhopes@abbynews.com
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