The Rural Voice, 2001-09, Page 12"Our experience
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8 THE RURAL VOICE
Robert Mercer
Art early start on the fair circuit
At the beginning of August I went
to a fall fair. Well. it was not in
reality a fall fair as it was too early in
the year. but it had all the sounds,
sights and smells of any fair you
might wander into in rural Ontario.
The Coombs
Fair is one of the
earliest in B.C.
and it bills itself
as "Our Old -
Fashioned
Country Fair." It
has no midway.
no horse or
tractor pull and
certainly no
demolition derby.
It is just what it
says. a rural
country fair — a
show place of
rural life and
crafts.
The fair is a community ettort that
attracts exhibitors and 4-H clubs from
all over Vancouver Island. It is a fair
where the president said that "without
the 4-H participation the fair would
not survive."This year the sheep
show had over 180 animals on
display and the 4;H senior lamb
showmanship class had 12
participants and it was keenly
competitive.
As one of the earliest shows of the
year, the Coombs Fair is a great place
for the 4-H members to get a head
statt on their project year. This fair
was no exception this year with
excellent participation in poultry,
rabbit, goat and the sheep sections.
There were estimated to be in excess
of 200 4-H members involved.
The Coombs Fair is rural. It may
not be the CNE or PNE, but the place
hums. Some of the buildings are
brand new, others far from it. They
are not made of the same materials,
they are different sizes, shapes and
colours. But they fit together by the
will of the more than 40 dedicated
volunteers who get it up and running
each year.
it is a fun place to be even if there
are no rides for the kids. There are
lots of kids and lots to do: games to
play at, friends to talk to, places to
eat, and shows to watch.
The fair board has been active in
trying to maintain the past traditions
of a rural fair and yet move ahead
with special activities and classes for
a wider scope of interests. There is
even a "Garden Hat Decorating
Contest" where the wild and wacky
can be as creative as they like ... and
are! This year there were chicken and
duck races and a show by the local
vaulting club on horseback.
The fair was a busy place with
continual horse shows. livestock
shows, arts and crafts exhibits, music
and entertainment. and some bake
tables where my temptation to sample
almost beat out my envy over the
performance of the cooks. The smell
at the bake table is as reminiscent of
Ontario fairs in its own way, as is that
in the livestock barns. It's "fair time -
for the eyes the ears and the nose.
The fair is run by the Arrowsmith
Agricultural Society, (that's the name
of the local mountain that overlooks
all the farmland here abouts) which
owns the 10 -acre fairground land
right in the middle of Coombs. This
is a small inland hamlet of about
1,000 people in among other towns
along the coastline. The fair has been
around, one way or another since
1912.
It is not a big fair, only 6,000
visitors, but it is big in heart with a
48 -page prize/entry catalogue that
would be the pride of any fall fair.0
Robert Mercer was editor of the
Broadwater Market Letter and a farm
commentator in Ontario for 25 years.
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