Agrifair is the place for Abbotsford's urban residents to connect with the city's rural roots, both the past and the current.

The Abbotsford fair has a long history in the community, stretching back 102 years to when it was an annual fall event in the former District of Matsqui, w here local farmers showcased their harvests, farm women showed off their preserves and young men boasted their agriculture prowess with plows and threshers.

Some of that agrarian pride remains evident today.

There are still displays of produce and homecanned goods, critters of all kinds in the animal barns, and the old implements in the Fraser Valley Antique Farm Machinery corner.

There is also a new take on growing things for the urban grower, said Agrifair general manager Pam Brenner.

New this year there will be a series of workshops, supported by the Abbotsford Community Foundation, on gardening, composting and beekeeping.

Cannor Nursery will have daily workshops for new gardeners on how to prepare soils, what plants to choose for their locations and how to help them thrive.

Urban gardeners will appreciate learning about homemade compost and its benefits to their growing things.

Finally, visitors will learn how bees are key to having a vibrant horticultural project, whether it's a commercial field or a backyard bed of flowers and herbs.

Find these workshops in Agriland, which is located in the Abbotsford Agrifair Market Place area at the Ag-Rec building.

CToth@abbotsfordtimes.com