John Goldstein Photo & Video Productions -- The Blog: 1/2/11

Friday, January 7, 2011

TLTV Ep 109 - Royal Winter Fair (Part 1)

The Royal Agricultural Winter Fair is an annual fall fair in Toronto which takes place over two weeks every November on the grounds of the CNE. Inaugurated in 1922, it is Canada's most prominent agricultural event and has become the world’s largest indoor agricultural and international equestrian competition.

The fair brings together over 300 vendors, 340,000 visitors, elite Canadian and International breeders, growers and exhibitors, over 4,500 large and small animals, a large petting zoo, the President's Choice SuperDogs show, shopping, dining and – of course – The Royal Horse Show.

For those of us who grew up nowhere near a farm, the Royal Winter Fair is a blast! It is so interesting to see farm folk displaying their animals (horses, cows, sheep, pigs, ducks, geese, chickens, turkeys, llamas, and much more) and their crops -- and all this happens very near Toronto's downtown core. There is so much to do and see, and it is the prefect spot for families and school groups. Everywhere you look you will find wide-eyed children, squealing with happiness, as they see and touch so many different farm animals.

In this first of two episodes from the Royal Winter Fair we'll visit an equestrian jumping event in the Ricoh Coliseum and then head into the sheep & goat areas to watch a lamb-judging competition. From there we're off to watch kids excitedly enjoying the petting zoo and watching a mother pig feed her babies. The it's off to the Horse Building where we'll see riders practising their equestrian skills and we'll wander around the massive amount of horse stalls that are full of these amazing animals.

In part 2 from the Royal Winter Fair, we'll head to the immense cow section where a huge number of cows are getting washed and shaved for judging. Then it'll be onto the bird-judging area, for a look at all manner of fowl. Finally we'll finish with a look at some of the other interesting exhibits at the fair, including some giant pumpkins. Stay tuned!