Fall fairs began as a way to bring communities together and to share in the pride and bounty of the harvest. For a lot of city kids it can be their first glimpse of a horse, or a cow, or.........a little black alpaca.
Fall fairs were a seasonal ritual for my family. Somewhere there is a picture of me on a pony and my sister on a donkey (and we never let her forget that she got the donkey) at the Burford Fall Fair - probably around 1960. The fairs in Southern Ontario still offer pony rides, demolition derbys, funnel cakes, cattle shows, midway rides, cotton candy and, most importantly, they allow farmers to show how they provide for all of us. Milk still comes from cows, corn still comes from the fields, eggs come from chickens, and the warmest, strongest, finest yarn comes from alpacas.
Yes, Sharon is knitting with extremely large needles. It's going to be either a table runner or a wall hanging made from creative yarn which is made by entwining alpaca fleece around a strand of hemp.
The rug in this photo was crocheted out of the creative yarn.
I like to know that little girls still have the opportunity to see and touch the livestock that our farmers manage and that they can learn about the wonderful animals we care for.
Thanks to the Beamsville Fall Fair and the Smithville Fall Fair for allowing us to share Serena, Maggie May and Lori D with everyone - we had a great time. Two more fairs to go - Binbrook and Rockwood. Can't wait!
