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THE BRANDON SUN • WINTER FAIR • MARCH 2025
Chris Arthur holds the reins of two of his family’s Clydesdale horses on a balmy Saturday March afternoon. (Matt Packwood/ The Brandon Sun)
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my life would be like without the fair. It’s part of me. Always has been, al- ways will be.” Arthur chooses to stay involved with the fair, although he didn’t have any say in how his relationship with it started. Arthur’s dad volunteered with the Provincial Exhibition meaning he can’t really recall the details of his first fair experiences, just some of the highlights that came along with growing up in that environment. “Some of my earliest memories are when we got our first farm dog at the fair. They had puppies, and dad brought one home and it became our farm dog,” Arthur said. By the age of 10 the younger Arthur had been recruited to help with the arena crew, setting up and disman- tling the jumps and serving as one of many that hand-raked the dirt. The next year they started to use a three-wheeler to drag the ring, which was considered a massive step in technology at the time. “That year I got to drive the three-wheeler around the ring,” Ar- thur said. “I thought I was a god.”
That feeling seemed to stick, as Ar- thur has been part of the arena crew ever since. The 11-year-old version of him, in some sense, never grew up. He recalled opposition to intro- ducing such a technological marvel as a three-wheeled all-terrain vehicle, because there was concern the hors- es would spook. Now all-terrain vehicles like quads and side-by-sides are some of the most valued tools to check on live- stock, sometimes coincidentally tending to the animals they replaced. A sign of the ever-changing land- scape, both in agriculture and the Winter Fair. “Change is inevitable. In the arena we’re constantly monitoring water levels and how compact the dirt is. There’s cultivators, soil conditioners, and ensuring there’s proper footing for the animals. There’s a whole sci- ence to it,” Arthur said. The footing is such a hot topic among the jumpers and barrel racers it factors in to whether they compete or not. » » Continued on Page 10
The necessity of the animals in to- day’s world could be debated, but to those that care and tend for them, the return isn’t about survival, it’s what the animals provide. ••••• Chris Arthur was born Easter Sun- day in 1972, meaning he not only religiously participates in the Winter Fair, but rings his birthday in at the event every year. Now 52, he’s only missed one Win- ter Fair, and didn’t have a choice. He, like many others, considers the COVID-cancelled event of 2020 as his only missed event. While he celebrates his birthday at the Keystone Centre in a busy atmo- sphere amidst long days he wouldn’t have it any other way. “Number one, it’s a family,” said Arthur. “That first day when every- one starts arriving it’s like a family reunion. Some of the people you only see once a year at the fair, but it’s like it’s only been a day or two. “Number two, I’m not sure what
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