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30th Annual Heifer-Cow-Calf Show & Bench Fair
Minburn & District Agricultural Society Hosts 30th Annual Heifer-Cow-Calf Show & Bench Fair
Michelle Pinon - News Advertiser
The Minburn & District Agricultural Society hosted its 30th annual Heifer-CowCalf show and Bench Fair on Aug. 12.
The cattle show was part of the overall event that was hosted by the Ag Society. It also included a parade and supper.
The Maxwell family has been attending the cattle show since its inception. Reece Maxwell won first place in the pen of three bred heifers and his cousin Bryce Maxwell was the runner up. Although Bryce was unable to attend in person, he also won first place in the cow/calf pair category. The age of the cows had to be between four and six years of age. In the mature class, Reece won first place.
While it’s nice to win, Reece said the main thing is to be able to go out and promote their purebred Simmental operation and to have the opportunity to visit with colleagues. “I’d like to show my appreciation to the Ag Society for putting on the show.”
Reece said not too many small communities are able to host an event like this and said it’s nice to support the organization as well as their neighbours and help the local economy. While the cattle industry is large, Reece said it is a small, tight-knit community of its own.
Reece’s’ grandfather Gordie Maxwell got into purebred Simmentals just over 50 years ago. His dad Glen, and his uncle Kevin followed suit. They’ve also been showing cattle for around 40 years. Reece and his cousin Bryce are only a couple years apart in age and are “like brothers” with everyone living on the same farm located 10 miles southeast of the Town of Viking.
K Cow Ranch Kevin Wirsta and his daughter Kailey participated in the cattle show. “I was last year’s champion in the cow/calf class and came back to defend his title.” This year they had to settle for second place.
Wirsta said he moves a lot of bulls through the area and the show is a great way to support and give back to the community. He also enjoys time spent with colleagues.
There were a total of 18 exhibitors and 162 entries in the Bench Fair. Katie Anderson was one of the exhibitors and thoroughly enjoyed showing her creative talents in a number of categories.
There was also a good turnout for a White Elephant Sale at the Seniors Centre that kept folks busy throughout the day.
