I went to Vermillion to connect with a transporter who was taking one of my favourite lambs to the interior and while I was in the city, I decided to see how the fair was. It was fair. My favourite was the big horses, so majestic and magnificent and at the same time gentle and quiet. The power in the horses was evident, yet there was a young girl who was threading her way in and out of their legs and bellies with no fear, and then she climbed up and drove a team. Amazing.
I looked at the sheep display which was pathetic. I should bring my sheep in for others to view and learn about, but I don't have a stock trailer. Maybe it might happen another year. I also looked at the brids, primarily the ducks and chickens. There were some Chantecler chickens there and also a friend of mine. I chatted with him for a while and asked about purchasing a rooster since I lost my Chantecler rooster this summer. He just up and died and I found nothing to indicate his reason for death. I do not lose many chickens, so it was an oddity.
I was inquiring about purchasing a rooster to replace the one that died and was told that there were none for sale, because my friend beat me to it and bought a pair of Partridge Chanteclers, but he said he will give me some chicks when they hatch. Since I do not require show chickens and that is the whole focus of his chickens, I will take the not so perfect birds. Actually, I just need one rooster. The chickens I have readily reproduce and there are always lots of females, but the new blood comes from switching roosters yearly. I have an Ameraucana rooster and will be acquiring a new one this fall along with two new hens. The Chantecler/Ameraucana cross chickens are wonderful bringing the best of the two breeds to the cross hens.
The fair was quite good all in all, especially for a small town. West Coast Amusements supplied the midway. Seeing the signs on the booths reminded me of an early job I had working the Pacific National Exhibition as a ride operator for West Coast Amusements in Vancouver. I was there from 11 am to 1 am daily for the 2 weeks the PNE ran. It was good money and I learned a lot, but never considered doing that job again. Carnival life is not for me.
The only complaint I had about the fair was the long, long lineups-half a city block for sure. Every food booth was lined up, as were the rides and games. I ended up buying only some fudge and caramels and then stopping at the A & W on the way home and had sweet potato fries instead of lining up forever. The ladies at the entry were very friendly and pleasant and remembered me as I left. How endearing. But that is part of the charm of a small town, isn't it?
The beautiful Percheron horses at the fair.
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