OXFORD — Horses, cows and rabbits were big attractions to the hundreds of students from Oxford County who came to the Oxford County Fair’s annual Agricultural and Conservation Day on Wednesday.
More than 600 students, ranging from preschool to fourth grade, came from several school districts including SAD 17, RSU 10 and SAD 44. Students from preschools, private schools and home schools also attended.
The Agricultural and Conservation Day program, which kicks off the four-day fair each year, is developed by the Oxford County Soil and Water Conservation District in Paris to teach students about agriculture and conservation. This year’s theme was “Back to Basics.”
Jean E. Federico, administrative assistant at the Oxford County Soil & Water Conservation District, said children were to see soap-making, how bugs can change the world and demonstrations on how long it takes to decompose material, among other things.
Students from Otisfield Community School have been studying “back to basics” in preparation for their trip to the fair, first-grade teacher Kensen Bourque said. Bourque said the students, who all wore white T-shirts with red, white and blue hands, saw firsthand at the fair what it means for a product to go from “farm to table.”
At the nearby Boxberry School in Oxford, students are working with Community Roots, a group devoted to educating people about composting. The students have helped design composting bin lids and mini-magazines about composting. On Thursday, they will be back at the fair to demonstrate their designs.
While the fair presents a hands-on learning situation for the students, the excitement the children had for the animals could not be overstated.
“Oh my gosh. Llamas. It’s a llama. Look at their necks,” screamed one youngster from Buckfield as he and his classmates ran over to the animals that were housed in one of the many exhibit barns.
“I love horses,” said another student as she danced around in anticipation of seeing draft horses.
The fair will continue Thursday with Community Day, featuring a special welcome to senior citizens, entertainment, the popular fry pan toss, harness racing and other activities.
Friday will feature Woodmen’s Day, the youth market and beef sale. Evening activities will include a demolition derby.
Saturday is Family Fun Day and 4-H Day, concluding with a Charley Pride concert.
Fair officials said they have made many changes in the past few years, including affordable pricing, new competitions and big-name entertainment, that have turned the fair into a highly successful event focused on families and agriculture.
New attractions in 2014 include a petting zoo, agricultural demonstrations, museum demonstrations, garden and tractor pulls, a Fair Share co-op and much more.
ldixon@sunjournal.com
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- Misty Breton, 7, and Nikolas Colby, 7, feel the texture of the cornmeal that Robert Withee of Oxford made with his antique corn grinder during the Oxford County Fair’s annual Agricultural and Conservation Day on Wednesday. Breton and Colby visited the fair with their second-grade classmates from Crescent Park School in Bethel. Withee said his corn grinder was built in the early 1900s.
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- Jessica Parsons of South Paris pets a team of show steers during the Oxford County Fair’s annual Agricultural and Conservation Day on Wednesday. Parsons was a chaperon for the first-grade class of her son, Evan Parsons, from Paris Elementary School. Ciara Nadeau led the team, Jack and Daniels, from the Morgan Family Farm in Woodstock.
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- Abner Poland, 4, of Oxford rides up front with Ben Lapointe of Greene during the Oxford County Fair’s annual Agricultural and Conservation Day on Wednesday. Lapointe gave students rides on his wagon, pulled by Silver and Bud, two miniature horses. Poland’s mother, Gretchen Poland, was a chaperon for Oxford Hills Christian Academy, the school that Poland’s sister, Gracie, attends.
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