The challenges of exhibiting at the fair
The challenges of exhibiting your best stock never end at county fairs. This is especially true at the Brome event where exhibitors know they’ll get little sleep as soon as they arrive on the grounds, are directed to their allotted space and begin the traditions which, through the years, have gained this county fair an enviable reputation.
Visitors stop to admire the cows or goats or sheep and even the horses and chat with whomever is nearby. Bedding is a top priority in the stables where valuable animals must endure the curious crowds, sounds they’ve probably never heard before this summer, and stand quietly as handlers fuss over them, clipping, milking at odd hours, washing, and tolerate someone who seems to be always behind them, ready to pick up whatever waste they might drop. They’ll probably be fed a different ration two or three times a day, horses might find alfalfa cubes in their feed boxes instead of regular hay. Brushing, spraying, and shaping their body outline never stops.
When judging times roll around, every animal exhibited must already be accustomed to a halter and have learned to walk very slowly in the dairy cow section or stride along briskly in the beef classes. There might be a total stranger at the halter, someone they don’t know but there’s never an excuse to let pentup energy take over in a hop, skip, or jump.
The expo arena always has well-filled bleachers where entire families and friends gather to watch the family’s pride and joy walk that circle where, in many cases their future could be made. Exhibitors in “show whites” keep a watchful eye on the judge and an animal that perhaps arches its back in a surreptitious stretch is soon corrected by hand pressure.
The outcome of all this preparation is in the hands of the judge and as hopes rise and fall, the judge’s decision is final.
Now, although the hurry and scurry to prepare an animal for the showring has calmed down a bit, there’s always the stable to keep spiffy. Each exhibitor’s space should have a name plaque over each animal. The farm name, owner, the animal’s name and bloodline, date of birth, and whatever else the exhibitor wishes to show must be in place throughout the fair. Many will decorate stalls with flowers or banners, or put up a collage of other events. Warm welcomes to one and all are encouraged as is being prepared to answer questions from visitors whose hands-on experience could, in some way, narrow the information gap between townsfolk and those who produce the food we eat every day.
Fair organizers are aware of all these challenges. Included in the awards are special prizes for herdsmen or women who take the time to set up their space in the stable with imaginative decorations, make sure their animals are spiffy clean and safely secured, and supplies are neatly organized. Another award goes to the best turnout in the parade. Here, as they walk the length of the grandstand, rounding the far turn and walk past again, points by undercover judges note the animals condition, if breed colors are worn by those leading the animals, if the farm signs are also decorated with each herd’s prize ribbons. Acknowledging applause with a smile and/or a wave is also noted.
But the bovine section is not the only consideration by the judges. There are also heavy horses, resplendent in show harness, perhaps hitched double or even four or more, with harness jangling and steel-clad wheels on the large show wagons rumbling. Then there are the light, high-stepping driving horses, hitched to a show buggy with chromed, spoke wheels or maybe an antique, elegant, two-wheeled cart pulled by that exhibitor’s favourite draft horse.
And the list of the challenges exhibitors must prepare for goes on. There’s careful transport of valuable animals. Exhibitors bring out their best and most valued. Accommodation for the exhibitor and his staff can be another challenge, with organizing the continuing chores at the home farm — there are so many details to tend to. But, finally, visitors in the stables or spectators in the grandstand will see the very best each exhibitor has worked with so diligently to bring to the fair. And, in the final analysis, that’s what Brome Fair and so many others across the country are all about.