"I'd like everybody to come see us. Agriculture is the finest occupation and we have it here, in our region. If you go for a walk in the countryside, it's farms you will see." The Cookshire Fair on August 18, 19, 20 and 21 is the occasion to come observe and understand the work of farmers.
Essentially, that is the message sent out by Robert Addis, president of the Cookshire Agricultural Fair. He also emphasizes that the Fair is bilingual. The main thing to be found at the fair is all that is used daily by farmers. Addis explains that Cookshire does not put on big shows like certain fairs do. "The formula is good, and we're keeping it," he said. Everything gravitates around agriculture as much as possible, which is the main activity presented. For example, for the pulls, the trucks and the tractors that we find at this fair are those used by farmers on their land, for work. "If you have fields that are 2 or 3 kilometres away, instead of taking the tractor, you take your truck. That way, the tractors stay in the field," explained the president. The participants enjoy trying out their machines between each other; it's a friendly competition. To participate in these days for the pure pleasure of it demands a lot of work and planning for most managers of an agricultural business. They have to spend money to do it. "You have to know that while they're exhibiting here, at the farm they have to hire someone to replace them," he said.
Although Addis works in a factory, his heart is in farming. He remains very involved in agriculture, and he used to work in it. He comes from Bury, and his uncle and his grandfather had a beef farm. He worked with them when he was young, but one day the money just wasn't there. "I had to find something else in order to earn my living," he said. In his view, that's the major reason more and more farmers leave farming: the money. For his part, if the money had been there, he would go back to the farm. "Even if it is seven days a week, it's a passion that I love. Even the evenings when the calves were being born, I was in the barn all the time with my grandfather and my uncle. I loved it!" he exclaimed with emotion.
The farms participating in the fair are mostly the same from one year to the next. They usually began when they were young, and the family continued, said the president. Some 50 years ago, a cousin of Addis would leave his farm in Sawyerville at 4:30 in the morning on foot with his cows to bring them to the fair, and would return in the same way in the evening. When we are often sitting in front of our screens in the air conditioning, going easily to get a glass of milk directly from the refrigerator, we forget the essential. The Cookshire Fair happening just once a year gives the farmers a break from the daily routine. Over these four days of festivities, the public has an opportunity to discover the toil and hard work accomplished by these men and women of exceptional valour.
The agricultural fair of the Compton County Agricultural Society is a resource, a place to come together, a place of exchange. That's also what the farmers say who are present at the event each year.
To guarantee the future of the fair, to do more activities and to carry out its events, the Society needs volunteers. "That's the most difficult thing to have. If we had the volunteers, we could do more things. That's the problem today, there are fewer and fewer," said Addis. Those interested in volunteering are invited to send an email to expocookshire@hotmail.ca.
