NORWAY – Numerous senior citizens descended on the Oxford County Fair Thursday to take advantage of the special Senior Day admission price of $2 for anyone over 65.
Many senior-oriented activities, such as the senior frying pan throw, were included in the day’s schedule.
Performers on the fairground stage stuck to the old standard tunes and avoided most of the modern works. The audience, which sported a good bit of gray hair, gave the musicians an enthusiastic reception.
Around the fairground and in the Agricultural Society Museum were demonstrations of skills such as maple sugar making, spinning, knitting and wood carving. Wood carver Sayward Lamb demonstrated his carving technique and displayed numerous finished pieces. Lamb, who is 78 years old, began carving 15 years ago when he retired. His most impressive piece was a life-size relief carving of a southern magnolia done on white pine.
One of the major agricultural events of the day was the judging of market lambs, youth auction beef and youth swine. Young 4-H Club members were busy washing, trimming and brushing their animals so they would look their very best. Some were even seen polishing animals’ hooves.
The draft horse and draft pony show, and the open steer and oxen show, presented numerous beautiful and well-trained animals handled by skillful drivers.
Donald Quirrion, 73, bought his first pair of young bulls when he was 9 years old. Through the intervening 64 years, except for one two-week period, he has had at least one team of oxen. He said that back in the ’50s he was milking so many cows, he didn’t have time to work the oxen, so he sold them all. Two weeks later he realized he missed having them around and bought another pair.
In years past, Quirrion used his oxen for twitching logs and pulling farm wagons. Now, they are just kept for fun and shows. His newest team, 6-month-old milking shorthorns named Tom and Jerry, are developing well. They won several ribbons in the Oxford County Fair show, and, last week at the Litchfield Fair, came in second in the “scoot” contest in which they had to pull a load through an obstacle course.
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