There's something special about lacing up ice skates for the first time each fall.

This year's first opportunity to hit the ice at the Beaver Valley Community Centre will be at the opening night of the 138th-annual Beaver Valley Fall Fair with the fall fair family skate.

The fair's opening ceremonies begin at 7 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 5 with Fall Fair Ambassador Kaisha Thompson. The evening's festivities include crowing the Sunflower Guardians, the school potato and fruit basket auction and the baby showcase.

That will be followed by the opening of the ice at 7:30 p.m. Entry to the family skate is included with paid admission to the fair.

The baby showcase makes its return, with photography by Shane McLaughlin of Collingwood. It's for babies and children under the age of two. Entry is $10 and includes a professional 5x7-inch colour photograph.

The general public does judging for the baby showcase. For those older, who would like to take advantage of the great backdrop, costume items and professional photographer, a 5x7-inch family or individual portrait can also be done for $10.

Last year's Sunflower Guardians, Megan Lockhart and Aleck Campbell, will hand over their crowns to this year's winners. Two Sunflower Guardians, one boy and one girl, will be chosen from the children who have grown sunflowers during the summer with the seeds provided by the fair which were handed out at Beaver Valley Community School in June.

Interested children also have the option of entering a homemade sunflower, made from a paper plate or a seed mosaic or any other medium. The Sunflower Guardian competition is for boys and girls up to the age of 10. Winners will get the opportunity to help out with various events at the fair on Saturday, Sept. 6

Opening night festivities conclude at 9 p.m.

For complete details on the fair, see the fall fair book. It's available for free at Jessica's Book Nook and the L.E. Shore Memorial Library in Thornbury, Riverside Graphics in Clarksburg, Blue Mountain Gourmet Bakery in Heathcote and the Ravenna General Store. The fair is Sept. 5 and 6 at the Beaver Valley Community Centre and Moreau Park.

Admission to the fair is $5 for adults and $4 for students for a one-day pass, or $8 for adults and $5 for students for a two-day pass. As always, elementary school students and children under five are free.