It’s the biggest fall fair in the province and this year’s Maritime Fall Fair will have something for every member of the family. Betty Lou Scott, the chair of the Maritime Fall Fair Advisory Board admits that planning the fair is a balancing act. Her recipe for success — a fair that combines traditional aspects of a rural fair including the cattle and horse shows, entertainment for all ages, traditional craft displays of quilts and hooked rugs and, of course, a midway for the kids and kids at heart.
"Our cornerstone events are the Professional Bull Riding and the Kubota Cup," she says. During the opening weekend, the PBR competition is the star of the show, backed up by the beef show, drafthorse competitions, and rodeo-style horse events like pole bending and barrel racing. The final weekend features the Kubota Cup, dairy and sheep shows, and light horse events. "The Kubota Cup has really caught on and the calibre of the jumpers it attracts is impressive," she says. "The Maritime Fall Fair is the last major show where they can accumulate points before the finale at the Royal Winter Fair."
The Fair will give urban residents the chance to experience life on the farm close at hand. Scott says Hatfield Farm will have its petting zoo and there will be displays of rabbits, chickens, and goats. Little Moe’s Paws for Fun canine agility show will also be making a crowd-pleasing return to the main arena this year.
"Our rabbit breeders are really great," she says. "There’s usually someone on hand at the displays and they’re great at letting the children pat and hold the rabbits. The kids love it.
Select Nova Scotia and Taste of Nova Scotia will be on hand to showcase Nova Scotia products while the popular AgCot Discovery Centre returns for the second weekend. "We’re going to have a ‘Soup it Up’ contest on the second weekend at the same time as the cooking demonstrations," Scott says. "Students from the culinary institute at the Nova Scotia Community College will be using only Nova Scotia ingredients in their soups.
"The Maritime Fall Fair is always a special occasion, especially for those who make it an annual event.
Catherine Colodey, of Clyde River Prince Edward Island, has been coming to the fair as long as she can remember and showing Angus beef cattle for the past seven or eight years. "The beef community is very tightly knit," she says. "We are always excited to see these people who come every year and who have been brought together by the Maritime Fall Fair."
Source: Daily News - October 4, 2007