38th Annual Drayton Farm Show - Wellington Advertiser

Drayton Farm Show celebration of tradition, evolution

38th show March 27-28

DRAYTON - One of the draws of the Drayton Farm Show is that very little about the show has changed in the 38 years since it began.

The family-friendly show is full of time-honoured traditions like a collectable model tractor.

The main focus of the twoday event, according to 2019 farm show chairman Chad MacKay, is the chance for community members who work side-by-side all year to celebrate their rural roots.

“It’s basically almost a social event, so you get to see all of the vendors in person ... the vendors like ... to sort of (engage) with the people that they work with,” said MacKay.

He added the show offers “a mixture of different businesses from the various sides within the agriculture field – from barn painting businesses and manure removal to robot barn cleaners and feeders.

“I think [the show] still suits the people that work on the farms and own the farms to get out and see

what’s going on in the rest of the agricultural (world),” MacKay said.

Some of the new equipment will be on site this year, he told the Advertiser “We’ve got maybe 15 vendors bringing equipment to park outside for people to take a look around and actually see some of the bigger stuff,” he said.

The two-day show, sponsored by the Drayton Kinsmen, takes place on March 27 from 11am to 10pm and on March 28 from 11am to 9pm at the PMD arena in Drayton.

Half of the $5 admission fee is donated to cystic fibrosis research, a cause that the local Kinsmen support at a national level.

The rest of the proceeds are put toward various Kinsmen projects in the community.

There are displays, information booths and educational opportunities suited to rural and non-rural visitors of all ages.

Show-goers will see a few new faces among the exhibitors, with most regulars returning.

Drayton Farm Show proceeds to help fund shade shelters for park

DRAYTON - The annual Drayton Farm Show, now in its 38th year, is the biggest fundraiser for the local Kinsmen Club.

A portion of the $5 admission fee to the event, held this year on March 27 and 28 at the PMD arena, is donated to cystic fibrosis research.

“Then all of the proceeds from the door, half of that goes directly to cystic fibrosis, along with another portion of the entire project,” said 2019 farm show chair-

man Chad MacKay Cystic fibrosis is a cause supported and fundraised by Kinsmen Clubs across Canada.

“We are into at least the tens of millions (of dollars) donated (through the Kinsmen) to cystic fibrosis over the years,” said MacKay.

The remainder of the proceeds from the show are put toward various Kinsmen projects in the community.

This year, the Kinsmen are looking to raise funds for

a shaded shelter at ABC Park in Drayton near the splash pad and the Kinsmen park playground.

“This year we are looking to potentially put up some shade shelters at the parks in town and this would be a big contributing factor for those gazebo-type shade shelters,” explained MacKay.

He said the shelters were priced out at $30,000 each.

“We sort of noticed that there is often a lot of people across the road where there

is no children’s park and they use that shade shelter quite often for picnics,” said MacKay.

“And we noticed that a lot of the families are down at the Kinsmen park and now up at the splash pad without any shade or cover for parents to sit around or to have a picnic.”

In 2017, over 3,000 people attended the farm show, which allowed the Kinsmen to make a sizable donation to cystic fibrosis research and

the other local causes.

Last year 1,800 people visited the farm show.

This year organizers say they are hoping to match, if not surpass, last year’s numbers.

“I think generally we are expecting between 1,800 and 2,000 visitors through the door over the couple days,” MacKay told the Advertiser

Hundreds of projects

Another local organization that receives funds raised at the annual farm show is the Drayton Minor Hockey Association, which receives donations from the

Farm show provides opportunity for fundraising

Raising funds - The Drayton Kinsmen Farm Show presents local organizations with an opportunity to raise funds.

ABOVE: Drayton Mapleton Agricultural Society members Dave Wooddisse, left, and John Klaassen sold tickets for the society’s ATV raffle at last year’s show. RIGHT: Donna Hirtle mans the Mapleton Chamber of Commerce booth. Advertiser file photos

food booth run by members from the association.

Over the years, the local Kinsmen have completed hundreds of projects, including an addition to the agricultural society building, purchase of a rescue van and Jaws-of-Life for the local fire department, development of ball parks and soccer fields, and a large contribution to the PMD Arena.

The local fire department, an area pregnancy crisis centre, the United Way, local food bank and multiple sclerosis research have also benefited from the Drayton Kinsmen.

DRAYTON - The Drayton Kinsmen Club was founded in 1968.

When the organization started the Drayton Farm Show in 1981, the purpose was to provide an opportunity to connect local residents in the agriculture field and to raise funds for community projects and cystic fibrosis research.

Over the years the Kinsmen have streamlined the process of organizing one of the area’s annual main events.

According to first-time farm show chair Chad MacKay, the process starts in October with divvying up roles. MacKay said he has already enjoyed learning on the job.

“I thought it would be good to run an event like this,” he said.

Not being a farmer himself, MacKay said he has been a big fan of the event because so many of his friends and

acquaintances in the area work in agriculture.

“You learn a lot as far as organizational stuff goes and you get involved with all of the local members of the community and business partners, so it’s been good,” he added.

The chairman started sending out invitations for this year’s event in January. Passing on the information from one chairman to the next, with so many returning vendors, means most are expecting to be invited and plan on attending.

This year only 15 of the show’s 125 vendors are new to the event.

For new vendors that want to be in the show, limited space can sometimes be an issue.

“With the space sometimes it takes a year or two to get everyone into the show,” MacKay said.

The largest part of his role, he explained, is orga-

nizing how all of the vendors will fit in the arena and deciding who goes where.

“It is still a lot of work, but all of the vendors ... have been doing it for years so they know what they are doing,” MacKay said.

“We just contact them, they come in and do the same thing they did last year basically.”

Booth and curtain set up in the PMD arena takes place the week prior to the event, allowing organizers and MacKay to get it right.

“Being that it’s been running for 38 years, a lot of the infrastructure is already in place so it gets set up fairly easily,” he said.

Visit Trees for Mapleton at Drayton Farm Show

MAPLETON - This past winter has been a challenge for drivers, with high winds, poor visibility and snow whipped around in all directions.

It is easy to see the benefits of those windbreaks that have been planted by landowners and also to see the areas where more windbreaks are very much needed as you drive around the township.

The Trees for Mapleton committee is encouraging farmers and land owners to consider planting more windbreaks.

There are funding sources available under the Grand River Conservation Authority’s (GRCA) Rural Water Quality Program as well as getting trees from Green Legacy.

For those wanting to plant windbreaks, under the Rural Water Quality Program in Wellington, there is a costshare of 80 per cent of the costs up to $7,500 per farm for tree planting.

If you have maxed out that program, there may be other avenues available.

Plastic mulch application is eligible for funding through the Rural Water Quality Program and Trees for Mapleton has funds to top up projects to a 100% cov-

Free trees - Local organizations take the opportunity to reach out to the community through participation in the Drayton Farm Show. Trees for Mapleton gave out free trees at the 2018 show. Grand River Conservation Authority forestry specialist Meghan Clay, left, and Liz Samis, right, of Trees for Mapleton, presented trees to the Signer family at last year’s event. Advertiser file photo

erage for the plastic mulch component.

The Trees for Mapleton committee has access to a plastic mulch applicator in the township for rent or hire.

Plastic mulch helps provide weed control and moisture conservation but it is not always practical and does require more planning.

Meghan Clay at the GRCA can help advise farmers and landowners about planting windbreaks and about using plastic mulch.

There are people in the area who can assist on-farm installation or rent out equipment to lay down the plastic mulch.

Now is a good time to assess where a windbreak

makes sense on a farm and Clay can talk with landowners about what they are wanting to accomplish and about getting a plan in place. A well designed and managed windbreak can produce yield increases far into the field and make up for the small amount of land taken out of production.

Let’s think about next winter and get some more trees in place.

For more information on planting windbreaks, contact Meghan Clay at 519-621-2763 ext. 2259 or mclay@grandriver.ca.

The GRCA and Trees for Mapleton committee will be at the Drayton Farm Show March 27 and 28.

On display - ABOVE: A wide array of farm equipment is always on display inside and outside the PMD arena during the Drayton Farm Show: BELOW: The Mapleton Historical Society had an interesting indoor display at the 2018 show. Advertiser file photos

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specifc needs of dairy farmers. We’d be happy to chat about any project needs you may have.