Not only were fall fairs significant for agricultural development, but the Surrey Fall Fair, in particular, was an important sporting event for the town, with high school students competing for best male and female athletic prizes. Because they had a new track to compete on, the new fairgrounds in Surrey fostered this. The fair provided a chance for the town’s athletes to be recognized, as evidenced by the numerous stories in the Surrey Leader newspaper identifying and featuring the top athletes. In 1938 one family, in particular, couldn’t keep out of the news, and it was the Spanks sisters Anna and Beatrice. In a number of sporting competitions that year, both sisters were proclaimed winners in various events. Beatrice had won six out of seven sporting events for intermediate girls at the 1938 fall fair, making her the champion for the second year in a row. She also had been featured as the winner of Girls Athletic events in the Vancouver Sun newspaper for the 50th anniversary of the Surrey Fair the year before. The decision to highlight her would have been thrilling for her, her classmates, and community members, as it helped them to showcase the athleticism of their community.
Pictured above is Beatrice Spanks who had won the Girls Challenge cup two years in a row at the Surrey Fall fair this picture specifically is from the 1937 Surrey Fall Fair. This was featured in The Vancouver Sun Newspaper.