Most city kids are more familiar with the latest video game than where their milk comes from.
But a special exhibit at Westerner Days is trying to give children and adults an awareness of where their food comes from and the animals on a working farm.
There are angora goats, Percheron horses, miniature horses and a variety of heritage breed chickens in the KFC Little Red Barn and Ag Awareness located at the Agri-Centre at Westerner Park.
The site is one of the many things attracting people to Westerner Days, which saw record-breaking attendance numbers for the first day on Wednesday, when 15,410 attended. That compares to 2009, when 13,193 people went the first day.
At the KFC Little Red Barn, young and old can drop by the petting zoo, which includes pot-bellied piglets, angora goats and silkies — a type of heritage breed chicken with a punk rock haircut.
The exhibit has a fake Holstein cow, with a rubber udder, but rather than milk there is Coffemate mixed with water coming out to cut down on the smell.
“It’s been a really big hit. This is the first year with it and a lot of people have stopped and tried. Kids are almost as happy doing that as the real thing,” said Kevin Baldwin, a volunteer for more than 20 years at the KFC Little Red Barn. He said the exhibit is up close and personal, allowing children to touch and pet the animals.
“A lot of farms are disappearing and a lot of people don’t know farmers. Most farmers don’t mind you coming on their property if you ask, but this way they get up close. They can ask the questions and see where milk comes from. It’s not just when you go to the store and it’s on the shelf or eggs aren’t just in the carton,” Baldwin said.
People can even drop by and try milking a real cow at 5 p.m. each day, with a Jersey cow on site that volunteers will show them how to milk.
Len Icke, the chairman of the KFC Little Red Barn, said volunteering at the site is a joy and the people who visit enjoy it.
“They hear stories of when mom was on the farm, or grandma and grandpa were on the farm, and they’re not there anymore. So kids haven’t got a place to relate so they come in here and it’s a touch of the past and things that they can’t see at their home,” Icke said. “Not everybody has a miniature horse in their backyard. It gives them a chance to see and experience more than TV.”
As part of the area, there are also displays of wool and fibres. Nancy Warwaruk, who owns NC Farms with her husband, has a table full of wool she has spun and shawls she has woven. She has been demonstrating spinning and letting people try their hand at it.
Warwaruk is trying to give the people who visit an understanding of how an animal’s coat can be spun and used to make sweaters and socks. She has samples of different fibres and then kids can find the animal that it came from.
There are lots of other things to see during Westerner Days. Marianas Trench will perform at the Centrium tonight, with doors opening at 7:30 p.m. and the concert at 8:30 p.m.
On the Molson Canadian Ranch Stage there will be live music throughout the weekend, among the performers tonight will be Hey Romeo, who take to the stage at 9 p.m.
Pick up your Ticket to Ride at all Fas Gas and Fas Gas Plus locations for $27, which covers gate admission and unlimited rides, but not parking.
For more information go to www.westernerdays.ca.
sobrien@www.reddeeradvocate.com
