Thursday & Friday at the Fair

Caleb Nickerson
SHAWVILLE Aug. 31- Sept 1, 2017
Though the weather was a tad chilly, hundreds of eager attendees crowded the fairgrounds Thursday and Friday to kick off the 161st iteration of the Valley’s most family friendly fair.
The truck and tractor pull was the first event on opening night and a sizable crowd filled the stands and hill around the outdoor ring.
Inside the arena, several dignitaries and fair officials conducted the official opening ceremonies. Several directors, including the late Jack Lang, were honoured for serving on the fair board for over 25 years.
A few adventurous souls christened the rides and attractions in the midway for as long as they could stand the cool temperatures.
On Friday, a horde of children from local elementary schools and daycares arrived in the morning and were treated to several different demonstrations and activities.
In the arena, the 4-H steer judging and local achievement day got underway, with dozens of local youth displaying their prize animals and showmanship.
The heavy horse line classes attracted some viewers to the outdoor ring to watch the majestic giants perform.
In the afternoon, the Charolais, Maine Anjou and Shorthorn shows took over the arena until the heavy horse show started up as the sun began to fall in the horizon.
Outside on the main stage, Ottawa rocker Alex Ryder fired up the crowd with extensive repertoire of classic tunes. Back in the arena, the 4-H steer auction got underway.
The much-anticipated performance by Canadian rock legends April Wine wrapped up the day and lived up to the high expectations.
Opening Night
As the temperature dropped, the outdoor track was heating up on Thursday night as scores of trucks and tractors showed off their pulling power. Trackside, the roar of the engines was deafening and carried clear across town and beyond. Much to the crowd’s delight, one of the trucks got a little too hot under the hood and the firefighters posted up nearby had to jump in and extinguish the flames emanating from the engine.
Inside the arena the opening ceremonies got underway, hosted by emcee Phillip Holmes. The first dignitary to speak was Shawville Mayor Sandra Murray, who praised the work done by the fair board to put the weekend together.
“Volunteers are our greatest asset,” she said. “What would we do without them?”
Next up was Clarendon Mayor John Armstrong, who spoke about coming to the fair as a youngster and watching successive generations of his family enjoy themselves over the years.
“Agriculture has always been a main theme of the fair and rightly so. It’s put on by the Agriculture Society of the area and the work they do is so important,” he said.
Armstrong also took the time to remember his friend, colleague and long-time fair director Jack Lang, who passed away earlier in the year.
“At this time I would be remiss if I didn’t say that I, like many of you, have lost a great friend this past year, our previous Mayor Jack Lang,” he said. “He was so involved with the Shawville Fair, along with every other committee and event … and it was very important to him. I know Jack would be saying, ‘Just keep up the good work.’”
Pontiac MNA André Fortin followed Armstrong and echoed his sentiments.
“It has been a hard year for the Pontiac,” he said, recalling this spring’s floods and the loss of several prominent community figures. “We know that the Shawville Fair represents the best of what we have. The Shawville Fair is the Pontiac. It’s a representation of our rural way of life.”
After a brief word from Fair Ambassador Avery Richardson, Fair Board President Sara Knox recognized all the directors in attendance and thanked all the volunteers for their countless hours of work.
As the speeches finished, a moment of silence was observed to honour several members of the fair family that passed during the past year: Lang, Joan Brown, Becky Wilson, Grant Rogers and Terry Knox.
To cap off the opening night, Directors Elwyn Lang, Eason Russell and Mavis Hanna received special pins to recognize 25 years or more on the fair board. Lang’s widow Elaine was given a pin, as well as an award for dedicated service, on his behalf.
School Children visit
Several hundred children from schools and daycares throughout the region descended upon the fairgrounds Friday morning to take in some demonstrations and enjoy themselves. Executive Director of the Quebec Farmers’ Association, Dougal Rattray, had a variety of educational tools to show the hazards of working on a farm.
He explained that statistically, farming is one of the most dangerous occupations around and is also one of the few jobs where children start participating at a young age.
“Everyone is running around trying to do things fast, especially in a year like this,” he said, referring to the planting and harvesting times cut short by rain.
His demonstrations showed how fast a person can suffocate in a silo full of grain, using balloons and a little man on a string.
To end the morning on a high note, the children gathered in the beer tent for a demonstration of exotic animals from The Keepers that included a tortoise and an arctic fox.
4-H, cattle and horse shows
Friday morning the arena was filled with young 4-Hers and their young cattle as the steer judging got underway. The competition was stiff among the young competitors but after the judge’s deliberation, Jordan Horner was named Grand Champion and Ryan Lang took Reserve Grand Champion.
Following the steer judging was the 4-H local achievement day, which featured a plethora of smaller livestock to be shown, from rabbits to sheep. The youngsters were focused as they attempted – with varying degrees of success – to keep their animals in check.
Outside on the outdoor track, the heavy horse line classes were judged. Dozens of people sat in the bleachers to watch the enormous beasts prance with all the grace of a 2,000 lb. ballet dancer.
In the afternoon , the Charolais, Maine Anjou and Shorthorn shows filled the arena with many a nervous moo, as local farmers led their carefully-prepared livestock in front of the judge.
Later on, the stands filled to capacity and the cows were replaced with horses and wagons for the heavy horse show. The grand finale proved to be the six-horse hitch, for which the newly created Past Presidents trophy was awarded to the winners, Grier Family Percherons. Former President Ron Hodgins mounted the wagon and rolled out of the arena with the trophy held high to close out the competition.
A special ceremony was held with Pontiac MP Will Amos presenting a commemorative Canada 150 pin to Elaine Lang and her family to honour all of Jack’s commitment over the years.
At the end of the evening, seven of the 4-H steers shown earlier in the day fetched good prices at the auction, which was presided over by long-time auctioneer Revel Stewart.
Evening entertainment
Starting off on the main stage at 7 p.m. Ottawa rocker Alex Ryder took to the stage for an energetic show that featured many classic hits like “I want to Rock” by Twisted Sister. Her whole band was decked out in Ottawa Senators gear as a tribute to the late Shawville legend Bryan Murray.
“We just want to honour everything he’s done for the sport and for the team,” she said.
As 9 p.m. rolled around, the crowd had grown considerably in anticipation of Canadian Music Hall of Famers April Wine, who could have woken people up in Campbell’s Bay with their high-energy ballads and instrumentals.