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| OVFS directors hammer out details of 75th anniversary show From the number of sales to configuration of the space, the Ottawa Valley Seed Growers Association livestock committee has finalized many of the details of its Sprung Structure presentation for the 2002 Ottawa Valley Farm Show (OVFS) to be held March 19-21 at Lansdowne Park in Ottawa. Details were hammered out during a committee meeting in Richmond Jan. 7, leading up to a meeting of the full board of directors in Kemptville Jan. 14, under the presidency of Gloucester's Lynda McCuaig. This year marks the 75th anniversary of the show which began with a regional Renfrew County seed fair in 1927, eventually taking on commercial displays and evolving into the Farm Show, operating out of Lansdowne since 1959. For the first time this year, as part of its 75th "new look", the OVFS will take over the Civic Centre arena for equipment exhibits, making it one of the largest trade shows of any type held in Ottawa and confirming its position as largest Ontario agricultural trade show east of Toronto. Features for this edition include 300 exhibitors, livestock and seed sales, a full seed display in the Aberdeen Pavilion, an awards banquet, and guest speakers such as OMAFRA Minister Brian Coburn and Jack Wilkinson, president of the Ontario Federation of Agriculture. As part of the new look, show days this March are Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday as opposed to the traditional Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. Admission remains $6 per adult, with a $3 parking fee charged by Lansdowne. "The days had to be changed to make the arena expansion possible," said OVFS general manager Tom Van Dusen. "Lansdowne needs a clear day Friday to remove floor boards and prepare the ice so the Ottawa 67s can play that night." Van Dusen said the new exhibit space is already sold out, with only a few small spaces left across the entire show: "We always hold a few spaces in reserve... but the show will once again be totally booked even with the extra space." The manager said the arena takeover has allowed the popular show some much needed flexibility and will reduce traffic congestion and other problems for Farm Show patrons by eliminating overlapping uses such as circuses and concerts. Along with the arena comes the Civic Centre concourse which Van Dusen hopes to use for further OVFS expansion over the next two years. Chaired by Richmond's Walter Foster, the committee set the number of Sprung livestock sales at one per day with Simmental, Limousin and Hereford once again being the breeds represented. Last year, the addition of an extremely popular dairy heifer sale sponsored by Eastern Breeders Inc. brought the total to four; however, while EBI will return with its spectacular Sprung display, the AI co-op has decided to limit sales to every second year, committee vice-chair John Joynt of Smiths Falls reported. Handing out floor plans, Joynt described to committee members an expanded livestock configuration in the Sprung for 2002, with breed booths pushed back to allow more room to move in the south-end sales area, a change made possible by removal from the north end of several commercial exhibits. That change was permitted due to the fact that, with the arena expansion, some space opened up in other exhibit areas allowing for relocation from the Sprung. Several other details of the 2002 livestock component were also resolved, including return of the "guess the weight of the bull" contest, demonstrations, tie-up competitions and best booth prize. Posted: January 16, 2002 |
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