Provincial Winter Fair

Winners - 2006 Agricultural Achievement of the Year Award

September 26, 27, 28, 29, 2008

About the Provincial Winter Agricultural Fair

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Held at:
Sagebrush Downs

485 Mount Paul Center Way

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About 4H Livestock Auction Sponsors Photos Links

The following are for participants and contain rules and entry forms
Hall Exhibits Craft and Commercial Booths Food Booths Livestock Volunteers

Provincial Winter Fair was first held in November at Memorial Arena in Kamloops. The fair's second home was on Lorne Street for a number of years; the next location was Mount Paul Center. Timing of the fair was changed to October, and in later years to September. Reasons for the time change were important considerations. Warmer weather meant the public would come and take part in the fair. Further, Provincial Winter Fair has a large 4-H contingency and school for the members is an important consideration. These later years make use of a Teacher Professional Development Day and the young members don't miss another day of school. People ask why we keep the name "Provincial Winter Fair" when the fair is held in September. Our answer is always because that's the original name. Visitors might not know it's the same fair they have been coming to for years if the name changes to Provincial Fall Fair.

Management of the fair was the City of Kamloops until a few years ago. The Kamloops Exhibition Association took over their own affairs and the administration of Provincial Winter Fair.

For more than 30 years, the Provincial Winter Fair (PWF) has taken place at the Kamloops Exhibition Association (KXA) facility on the Kamloops Indian Reserve under the sponsorship of the City of Kamloops. Three years ago, the City's lease expired and was not renewed. The KXA committee reached a lease agreement with the Kamloops Indian Band (KIB) on a section of the grounds known as Sagebrush Downs. The balance of the grounds remained with the KIB and is known today as the Mt. Paul Centre. In 2006, the main building, (Mt. Paul Center), which our fair had used as a barn and show rings was leased out to another long-term tenant. The facilities that had housed a major portion of our fair for the past 30 years were no longer available.

The transition
As a result of this change, the 2006 PWF had to make a transition to the remaining portion of the KXA lease. The beef projects were relocated to an old horse barn and once some adjustments and renovations were completed, it worked well to house all of the beef projects. Exhibitors rose to the occasion and stall competitions took place.

The beef show ring was moved to another barn which had formerly housed the rabbit exhibits, who, in turn, moved to spare horse stalls. The rabbits were very happy in their new home.

The rabbits were very happy in their new home.

The sheep were moved to a temporary facility first and fortunately, the weather was great as show preparations took place without cover. The committee has now bought a Coverall building to house the sheep show ring and spectator stands. Spectators really enjoy the new sheep competition setup. See how nice the sheep section looks? It's has a "fair" feeling about it.

Fair visitors enjoyed mingling with the animals, so much to see and do. New, open, wash-racks were built, and areas were paved for clipping chutes and some walkways. We rented the auditorium for the craft fair, home exhibits, and banquet, and hold the buyers' breakfast under a permanent tent facility. The camping area was moved to the centre of the race track.
The dogs were moved from their previous location to accommodate the buyer's breakfast. They seemed to enjoy their new location. The public had a good view of all the dog events. The Llamas were fortunate to stay in the location they know. Their spot is especially good for the type of competition they do. The public enjoys a very close look at these animals.
The Outcome: Many fairgoers and exhibitors commented on the closer, "country fair" feeling of the PWF in its new incarnation. We are grateful for the hard work of our volunteers and the generosity of our sponsors, particularly the Kamloops Exhibition Association committee members who gave their time, equipment and many hours to prepare the grounds for us. The City of Kamloops, Thompson Nicola Regional District and L.D.S. Diamond Drilling Ltd. also came through for us in a big way. Our transition year was challenging, yet very rewarding. We have plans in the works to make a bigger and better country fair for the people of Kamloops, and it's visitors, in 2007. This Year: Our 2008 Fair promises fun and entertainment for everyone. Display buildings, food court, and livestock classes will open at 9:00 am Friday September 26 and run until September 28, 2008. The finale will be a livestock auction of market beef and lambs on September 29, 2008, beginning with a Buyer's Breakfast at 7:30 am; the auction starts at 9:00 am. Provincial Winter Fair endeavors to involve the community in many ways. Children from the age of three are encouraged to use their imagination by experimenting in the basic arts such as drawing, colouring, and painting. Adults are encouraged to show their skills in original arts with the same type of art classes, adding pottery, linocuts, porcelain and fabric painting. Amateur photographers are invited to display their as well. Quilting, wool and fibre weaving, spinning, knitting, crocheting and specialty stitch work all contribute to the community talent pool. These are beautiful and creative works of art. As our fair grows in popularity, we attract more participation by the community. Download our Spring Catalogue to see all the classes. This year our catalogue added interesting classes for Women's, Men's, Youth and School Groups. Check them out and see the loot for winners.

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