Abbotsford Agrifair board responds to disparaging comments about drag show
Abbotsford Agrifair’s board says derogatory messages posted on the event’s Facebook page over the weekend will not be tolerated.
The posts, which have since been deleted, were posted on Saturday July 16 in connection with the We are One Drag and Comedy Show being held on 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 to the Facebook page Monday.
“Agrifair is an inclusive environment aimed at bringing entertainment that reflects our community and will be well attended. There is no other goal than to entertain people.
Fair manager Graham Vanstone told The News that some of the posts were aimed at Agrifair, questioning why they were holding a drag show, while others turned into personal attacks on him.
Vanstone said Agrifair’s board decided to organize 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 shows. We just try to represent the whole community,” he said.
The board’s Facebook post commends Vanstone for its work to ensure Agrifair continues through the pandemic – as a drive-in event in 2020 and a smaller in-person version last year.
“We are grateful to 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 post reads.
The We are One Drag and Comedy Show takes place July 30 at 9:30 p.m. and is headlined by Scarlett BoBo of Drag Race Canada.
Agrifair runs July 29-31 at the Abbotsford Fairgrounds. Visit agrifair.ca for more information.
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