Ag Fair Field Trip

Last month was the Ag Fair at our Exhibition Grounds here in town.  I have faithfully missed it each year for the last 5 or so years, even though I have consciously TRIED not to!!  So this year I finally read it in the paper and marked it on the calendar and Determined to go, even though some of my charges (we won't say who) said they did NOT want to go.  Don't worry, they were all taken and they all LOVED it.  So there, boys.  Mothers DO know best.  :-)

Some interesting things we saw were the electricity demo--showing a model of power lines and the way to be safe/unsafe around them with resulting electrocutions--the rope-making demo--the boys got to help make a long piece of rope using different winding tools--the branding demo--the man branded a piece of wood.  This was quite an eye-opener for the boys.  They felt bad for cows. I was keen on learning about the water technology for growing plants.  An aquarium of fish is connected to an aquarium growing plants.  They feed each other.  I also enjoyed the potato display--I had no idea there are so many kinds of potatoes!  There is one they are developing right now called Cotton Candy which will be a bright pink potato!!  I learned that Canola oil is a Canadian oil which was changed from rape seed when it was brought over from Europe.  We got to grind some canola seeds and see the oil come out.  Pretty neat stuff!  Here are a few more places we stopped at:

In front of the miniature horses.  I seem to not have gotten the cute little horse in the picture!!  They are so cute.  We learned all about the mini chuckwagon races in the rodeo.  They are quite strong little horses!

Here's the horse!  See, its smaller than Tommy!

The boys got to ride in an old-fashioned carriage for a minute.  Well, actually, they just sat in it.    They went from this to the police crash test dummy demo of a car--which spun around and the dummies flew out of the window.  The boys seemed excited by this and asked if they could ride in it!!

Another view of the carriage.  This carriage has been used in some movies, but I don't remember which ones.  

We went into the petting zoo and George chased a bunch of animals around for quite a while trying to feed them.  They finally noticed him and then THEY chased HIM and he got quite scared.  The food got dumped in a pile into the sawdust.

George recovered.

Testing the milking machine's sucking power.  This thing is powerful!

The famous sheep-shearer....um, forgot his name.  He has sheared many a sheep in his day.  He sheared a ram which was a bit exciting, especially considering we were on the front row...I was proud that I remembered that that yellow oily stuff under the wool is called lanolin.  The boys were duly impressed as well, which made me feel even prouder of myself.

The boys helped deliver this (fake, yet scarily realistic) calf.  They wore huge gloves up to their elbows, and were thoroughly grossed out by the whole event.  I don't think any of them are keen on becoming vets any time soon!

Georgie wanted to rope the "cow" along with his brothers.  He was successful, with some good help, of course!