Tuesday, July 31, 2012 The TIMES and Ridge Meadows Recycling are looking for 40 of this community’s inspirational young environmentalists.
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Photos by Sylver McLaren and Maria Rantanen/TIMES
Tyson Boyes, (left) from the Mission 4-H Beef Club, brought his one-year-old cow Chester to Country Fest. A sheep dog (top) herded ducks during a demo on Saturday. Lizzi and Lance the Llama took first place in the llama show, while the Knorr brothers, Dylan, three, and Tristan, two, (above right) sported cowboy hats.
Exhibition
Country Fest entertains big crowds
The entire fairgrounds in Albion – including Planet Ice – were taken over by Country Fest this weekend. by Sylver McLaren smclaren@mrtimes.com
As the sun came out on Saturday, so to did more and more people to the Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows Country Fest. By the end of the weekend, thousands of cowboys and cowgirls had enjoyed the Sunday-morning church service, music, rides, games, food, roller derby, live animals, and so much more. “Overall, it was a very good time. There
were a lot of people – very crowded. I and once that was over a lot of them would guess the attendance was better stayed to enjoy the fair, said Cameron, than 14,000,” said Tom Cameron, preswho added that many people asked ident of the Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows Pastor Ed Bradley, who led the service, Agricultural Fair Association. how many churches were involved. “I was quite impressed. “His response was I got a lot of compliments “We had no more room ‘just one – the church on the entertainment,” at Country Fest,’” said in our barns. Our 4-H explained Cameron, who Cameron. attendance exceeded when asked what his Fair manager Lorraine favourite part of the lineup Bates said the 4-H comsome of the larger fairs was, answered: “It’s hard ponent of the fair was a in B.C.” to pinpoint my favourite “big success.” Lorraine Bates because they are all so “We had no more good. There isn’t enough room in our barns. Our words to compliment them all.” 4-H attendance exceeded some of the larA large influx of people came early ger fairs in B.C.,” she explained. Sunday morning for the church service Bates also took in the first ever culinary
competitions, and hopes it is the start of something much bigger. “As an agricultural association we’ve been educating with animals, and now we can focus on people too,” she said while in the backyard farming section of the fair, where the culinary competition was also held. “I want it to include every high school next year, so everyone has a chance to participate and earn the $500,” Bates said, referring to the money each culinary student who competes is given. “People want to eat local and grow local – they are more conscious about what they eat than ever,” Bates explained. “This is about teaching people how to produce in their own backyards.”
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