It takes a lot of people to organize the fair
Being secretary-manager at the Brome Fair office is always a challenge, at least, according to Guylaine Tetreault. In the five years she has occupied this important position, she not only oversees the increased office staff the last weeks before the fair, but works year-round, finding programs and activities that will keep this Agriculture Society busy at least spring, summer, and fall. Growing up in Cowansville, the Brome Fair was always a priority activity every summer. “We would all come to the fair and for me, it was probably my favourite activity during summer holidays.”
Now, Tetreault is doing exactly what she loves — getting to know this fair from the inside out, understanding the tasks and challenges that putting together such a huge event entails.
“We have worked hard to plan activities on the grounds before and after the fair, but the fair is the biggest and best, if I may say so.”
The village of Brome, population — if you count dogs, cats, and other pets — might reach 600. “But just imagine waking up Thursday morning just after 4 a.m. as trucks and horse trailers begin to arrive, bringing probably a hundred horses to the provincial competition for purebred heavies and lights.” But that event only lasts a day and most of those equines will leave for home around 4 p.m. However, villagers will have watched as another steady stream of vehicles begin to arrive, laden with animals and locally produced and crafted goods, a combination of exhibitors and commercial exhibitors, food suppliers for the many food concessions, and we haven’t even mentioned the earlier arrival of Beauce Carnaval with its own assortment of trucks, trailers, bunkhouses, and generators.
Actually concessionaires and the Carnaval begin to arrive earlier in the week, but Wednesday and Thursday the rush is on and folks in the village are at the ready with flags and signs pointing to the well maintained green spaces around their properties where visitors to the fair may choose to park.
The exhibitor parking lot, on the left as one approaches the fair, will already be nearly filled with trucks and campers, trailers, and maybe a tent or two. This will be home base for hundreds of exhibitors for four days.
And the fair hasn’t even started yet. After the Thursday provincial competition, the regular program kicks in. Visitors would be well advised to take a minute to plan their visits with so much to see, do, and watch. Judging begins the first thing Friday. The program on the small stage where local talent is featured begins at 10 a.m., the midway opens and this is children’s and seniors’ day with the special prices for youngsters 12 years old and under and seniors who, if they’ll admit it, are at least 60. Ten dollars is the special price, but anyone between 12 and 60 pay $15. On Friday, special events for both age groups are scheduled with particular attention to the youngsters. The Agri-zone, out in centerfield, will encourage the kiddies to dig up a potato or try their hand at squeezing what looks like milk from the life-size artificial cow, Bella. There’s no danger here from this supposed milk producer. She doesn’t kick or switch her tail across your neck. Kiddies can crouch right under her and squeeze those realistic teats, hopefully helping them realize milk doesn’t get processed into the familiar plastic bags until it leaves the farm and is transported to a processing plant. Fair organizers are more and more focused on attracting the younger visitors with special projects like the MAPAQ program, which has brought young pullets and cockerels to their fancy chicken house near the pedestrian gate.
“The MAPAQ has broadened their program to include more hands-on projects where children can actually watch the production of such things as baby chicks hatching,” Tetreault explained. In early spring this year, the society travelled to two elementary schools in the area, loaded with two incubators, carefully packaged fertile eggs, and set up the incubating process at Level 1 and 2. Experts in nutrition and care of baby chicks were invited to talk to these youngsters, whose excitement grew exponentially as the 21 days of incubation dwindled. Incubating eggs is a fascinating process. The warm eggs, kept at around 200 degrees Fahrenheit, must be turned at least twice a day, the temperature must be carefully monitored and, as the time for hatching approaches, the children can be encouraged to listen for the first sounds of baby chicks beginning to peck at the shell, which must crack open when the time is right. “Can you just imagine the excitement as the first baby appears? To these children, observing the simple birth of a wet-looking, bedraggled chicken is nothing short of a miracle. And, in a few short minutes, as the babies dry off, the fuzzy chicks have won the hearts of every child. Obviously it’s not the time to tell them where their KFC comes from, but they do realize this is the fist step in their food production.”
Tetreault has other news about new foods to taste during the fair. “We’ll have a Vietnamese and Mexican food truck preparing their traditional food during the fair. The idea is to offer a change from traditional fair food.” But even without these latest additions, Brome Fair was probably the first in the region to offer funnel cake, fried onion flowers, spiral fries, Wapiti dinners, and a wide variety of locally produced sweets and juices at the grandstand kiosks. There’s rich and creamy fudge in a variety of flavours, freshly squeezed fruit juices, and exotic teas and coffees. It’s no wonder strolling through the food carousel areas it’s always difficult to find an empty spot.
If shopping perhaps for Christmas gifts or special occasions is on a to-do list, a tour of the Main Building and circling the outside, one can find everything from designer garments, traditional ethnic articles, original art works, photography on display, and the latest in cookware and handicraft supplies. There are jewellery booths and folks set up to sell heating and cooking stoves. Naming everything would take far too much space but visitors, once started on a shopping visit to these areas, are always amazed at the varieties offered. “It’s a wonderful, end-of-summer event, a final excuse to gather family and friends for the long weekend and include a visit to Brome Fair. We’re hoping for over 40,000 visitors this year, maybe more if the weather stays reasonable,” Tetreault concluded.
This is where Amanda Tryhorn fits in the picture. Tryhorn has been finding the time away from her real tasks in accounting to organize the commercial aspects of the fair. Tryhorn, together with veterans at these tasks, Ernie Banks and Gaylon Davis, both past presidents and directors, slip away from the office prepared to measure the reserved space every kiosk requires. Some folks will remember Allan Webster, who headed up this part of organizing this fair. He was often seen out with his faithful pet, Sheba, and shuffling back and forth through stacks of paper, (this is before technology supposedly made this work easier). Webster also looked after supplies such as light bulbs, washroom necessities, etc., his orders resulting in a staggering number of boxes and crates appearing at the gates before the fair began. Sadly, Allan is no longer with us, but the work to get ready must go on and the team that now numbers three or more some days seems to be getting it done. This is a daunting, tiresome job when one considers the space available and