Following months of bickering and infighting between the organising committee over the location of amusements at this year's fair, it seems some local councillors have finally had enough of what has become an embarrassing situation.
At their meeting last Wednesday night, members of the council's Policy and Governance Committee voted to pull more than £40,000 of funding for the event.
That proposal came less than 24 hours after a marathon 'mediation' meeting at Mossley Mill failed to find compromise between the warring factions.
"It was decided in the light of the ongoing dispute, to recommend the council to withdraw the funding for this year's May Fair, and that this funding be allocated to other events being organised to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Newtownabbey," a council spokesperson confirmed.
With that decision still to be ratified by full council, it will be make or break for the May Fair when members gather for their monthly meeting at Mossley Mill on Monday evening.
One of the May Fair Group's longest serving members, Ted Turkington, is hoping that the council will overturn the committee's controversial decision.
"I was very surprised that after we spent eight and a half hours trying to resolve the matter last Tuesday that the very next night the committee voted to pull the funding. It seems it's either their way or nothing.
"I'm hoping that common sense will prevail and that the council will see that there are a lot of people on the committee who are dedicated to working hard organising the best possible festival," he said.
Speaking to the Times after last week's Policy and Governance meeting, Mayor Nigel Hamilton stressed that no definite decision on the issue has yet been made.
"Nothing will be decided until the full council meeting on February 25," he said.
Meanwhile, the ongoing row over this year's fair, which has been escalating since October, shows no sign of going away. Claims that the car park at The Square had been booked by Newtownabbey Town Centre Management Company for the continental market are now being queried by members of the committee who have been battling to retain traditional amusements as the fair's centrepiece.
Indeed, Roads Service, who are responsible for the site, confirmed this week that despite several informal inquiries, no-one has yet officially booked the car park for 19 - 25 May.
Questions over the car park booking and the possible move to withdraw funding for the event were among the matters up for discussion at last night's (Wednesday) May Fair Committee meeting in Ballyclare Town Hall.