Poster for the 2016 Carrotfest weekend event from Saturday, August 19th, 2016 to Sunday, August 20th, 2016

"Bradford's CarrotFest has been voted one of Canada's Top 100 Festivals - and with good reason, as Bradford West Gwillimbury gets back to its agricultural "roots." This year,, the festival extends from August 16 to the 18 - although the streetfest, with its vendors, buskers, live entertainment, and mascot, Gwilly the Carrot, takes place on the 17th. ..."

"Outdoor festivals face an all-ir-nothing kind of scenario, If the weather is fine, the crowds come out. If it rains, as it did for the 2014 Carrotfest, it can be nothing short of disaster for the vendors and event organizers. That was one reason the Town of Bradford West Gwililmbury agreed to hold the opening ceremonies for Carrotfest on Friday night, endorsing an evening of live entertainment outdoors at the main stage, and encouraging downtown businesses to co-ordinate a Midnight Madness shopping event - although the street festival would still take place on Saturday. ..."

Schedule of Events for the Carrotfest of 2013

"For the first time in 16 years, Bradford's Carrtofest had to deal with a steady downpour that blew in on Festival Day.
Not light showers, or a late-afternoon thunderstorm sending vendors scurrying to take down their tents down an hour early. Rain. And while rain is good for making the carrots grow, there's no denying it had a dampening effect on the crowds, and Carrotfest. ..."

Alonzo Milligan Williams farming in the 1940s.

Holland Marsh farmers return home to salvage belonging. Photograph from in Betty Kennedy's 'Hurricane Hazel,' found in the Local History Collection.

Robert Saunders (left) and numerous other companies came to the aid of the Holland Marsh, offering their equipment free of charge to pump out the flood water. The Marsh was dry again by November 13th.

Description : The flooding of the Marsh on October 15th, 1954, is one occasion not easily forgotten by those who were part of the Springdale community at that time. It had already rained for weeks. We were behind in the harvesting, and most of the onions were still in the field, bagged up and stacked in long rows. On that Friday, October 15th the rain kept pouring down, and an all-time record of 7" of rain was recorded for the Toronto area. Hurricane Hazel had entered the mainland just south of Myrtle Beach, leaving a path of destruction and devastation with winds over 90 miles per hour, and torrential rains. It crossed Lake Ontario near Toronto. At 7:30 p.m. that Friday we received a phone call to leave for higher ground. Laying sandbags on the dikes had proven a hopeless task, as the water that came roaring down from the surrounding hills was just too much. We put some suitcases on the truck and left our house. For a few minutes, the rain stopped, the sky was clear above, and the stillness was eerie. Then it started again: the wind, the rain, the darkness. The roads were full of gullies. Weston Road, then the 6th Concession of King Twp., was under construction, and turned into a river of mud. The water in the canal was close to the top of the dike. I got out of the truck to check whether the bridge was still there. We followed the townline eastward. A 3' wide creek east of Highway 400 had turned into a raging river, boiling 2' high over the small bridge. About 10 cars were standing there, the drivers debating whether it was safe to cross. One look was enough. We turned around and went back to the wooden canal bank road to Wist Road. This road was also full of gullies, washed out by the water coming down from the 400. While travelling south on the 400, we encountered a huge landslide just south of highway 9. The whole side of the hill had slid down, all but blocking the southbound lanes. A Gray Coach bus was lying on its side in the median. That was enough. We turned off at the Aurora side road and sought refuge at the farmhouse of George and Helen Sportel. Already 30 people were there. The men slept downstairs and the women and children upstairs, where the bedrooms were, We had no blankets, beds or pillows for the men, but at least we were high and dry. At 11 p.m., I went back to take a look at our house. It was still there, but the land was under water, and water levels were creeping up the driveway. When I tried to drive a little further, the road disappeared under water. I brought some furniture upstairs, but still did not think that the water would reach the floor, which at that time was still at least 2' above the flood. The next morning at 6 a.m., we climbed a hill, and saw a Holland Marsh that was now a large lake. Only the roofs of the houses seemed to be above the water. It was a cold, still morning, but sunny, and for the first time in weeks it was not raining.

"One exhibit which attracted a great deal of interest in last Thursday's parade was the huge melon tied on the front of Gordon Bateman's truck, which was being driven for Bradford Seed House.
The melon, which weighed 115 pounds, was over five feet long and more than 1 foot in diameter. It was not grown here but was brought in by a traveller for seeds, selling to Bradford Seed House.
This traveller informed that the melon is of the gourd variety and is known as the Zucca Melon. It is used to make Christmas peels and cherries.
After the parade was over a policeman's whistle stopped the Bateman truck at Yonge and Queen and the officer halted traffic while he examined the melon, he being just as curious as many others watching the parade.
The melon in shape and colour slightly resembles the vegetable marrow."