Cows a hit at Maberly Fair but they could still use more volunteers

Craig Bakay | Aug 29, 2018

The theme for the Maberly Fair this year (its 136th edition) was All About Cows — Everything But the Moo.

And one of the more popular events featured what else — cows.

“Cattle are more than just food,” said Maberly Agricultural Society board member Paul Pospisil. “Nothing goes to waste.”

For the second straight year, the 4H club partnered with the MAS to bring a livestock competition to the Fair and to the young farmers, an opportunity to show off the animals they’ve been working with was welcomed.

Sixteen-year-old Brandon Quinn brought his Charolais Ghost to the Fair and picked ribbons for first, third and fourth. About the only downside was that his sister, Alyssa, took home a first and two thirds for family bragging rights.

“I don’t know how that works,” he said, jokingly. “But I have fun with this.

“My steer was quite wild when I first got him so to make a wild farm animal trainable is enjoyable to me.

“And I like the competition.”

Bill Cameron, in his second year as Society president and fair director, praised the 4H participation.

“I was born and raised in the city, so what do I know?” he joked. “But the 4H is critical, we need farmers.”

Cameron was thankful for the weather cooperating and pleased that things were going well.

But while the Fair isn’t in any current jeopardy, he is concerned that they don’t have as many volunteers as they’d like and the ones they do have aren’t getting any younger.

“At our next meeting, we’ll sit down and people will identify what worked well and what didn’t in their area,” he said. “But we need more board members.

“It’s hardly an onerous responsibility, only one day a month.

“If I hadn’t gotten into this, I would only know my two neighbours, one on either side of me.”

He said volunteers are the “key to everything” especially as board members and volunteers age.

“Things like the tents and tarps get a little heavier each year,” he said.