Small town fairs offer something larger exhibitions cannot, a slice of rural life served up in a safe, family-friendly environment, says the new president of the Western Canada Fairs Association.
Terry Chrisp of Vermilion, Alta., was elected for a one year term during the association’s annual convention in Saskatoon Oct. 26-29.
He said many people are passing up big city fairs for the slower pace of more rural-based exhibitions.
“They come to the local community where they feel their kids are safe and where they’ll see more agriculture than at the majors,” he said.
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Chrisp said while livestock shows are on the decline generally at fairs, horse shows remain particularly strong due to the urban interest.
Most smaller shows have retained beef cattle classes but fewer are offering classes for dairy, swine, goats and sheep.
Chrisp cited disease concerns, transportation costs and the increasingly technical nature of intensive agricultural operations as some of the reasons for the decline. A movement toward separate fall breed shows and sales is another factor.
Nathalie Hipkins, office manager of the Nipawin Exhibition Association, called livestock shows a tradition that will continue as long as there are volunteers to organize them.
While the stalls are filled, the spectator bleachers often are limited to those involved with the shows.
“(Others) are not watching because they don’t understand,” she said.
Hipkins predicts the future might see more educational displays on agriculture rather than livestock shows as people become more detached from food production.
Chrisp agrees, noting demonstrations on milking cows, hatching chicks and nursing piglets are proving popular attractions at fairs.
At the Virden fair in Manitoba, heavy horses remain a strong element with handsome payouts and loads of exhibitors drawn largely from the local pregnant mare’s urine industry and beyond.
“The hard part is getting people to watch,” said Diane Janzen, secretary-treasurer of the Virden Agricultural Society.
Her society’s board is largely comprised of those involved with horses. Cultivating new and younger volunteers remains a struggle for fair boards, she said.
Crystal Flaman of Tandem Communications, a featured speaker at the conference, told delegates to match volunteers with their interests. She said to use the gifts and strengths of each one and involve all in what they want to do.
“Give them the opportunity to grow and to lead,” she advised. “Rather than controlling people, give them some freedom.”
Hipkins said the society tries to maintain a good volunteer base through appreciation suppers. It also creates a fun atmosphere in the office when the fair is underway in mid- July.
She suggested that paid positions for some workers might help, due to the amount of work involved.
Janzen said Virden hires youth employment services each summer to help with set up and clean up.
In Vermilion, Chrisp said he is blessed with an active volunteer force for a fair in the town of 4,000 that attracts 24,000 each July.
Volunteers are long serving also, with 10 active past presidents including Chrisp.
Vermilion will host next year’s convention for the fairs association.
