Two youths are gearing up for a unique experience in the big city.
4-H members DJ Lawrence of Halton Hills and Alexander Ciavoliello of Milton will be showing off their heifers at the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair in Toronto, which starts Nov. 1.
Both of their animals will be assessed by the discerning eyes of judges who scrutinize their overall look and how they carry themselves.
Lawrence, 21, has been to the event more than once and feels ready to take on the challenge. He's a veteran of many fairs, including in Halton Hills and as far as Barrie.
“If I treat it like another day – another show for me – I don’t get nervous,” Lawrence said, his sage insight reverberating inside an Eighth Line barn. “If I act like it is a big time, it gets me worked up and scared.”
Though Ciavoliello has been to the fair in other capacities, this is his first time attending as a competitor.
"Every little show I've always been nervous for, but the Royal is a lot of competition,” Ciavoliello said in speaking about his mindset going into the fair.
To combat the butterflies, he says that he tends to look at the other entrants.
"If they’re nervous, it helps me a little bit.”
But of course, practice under the tutelage of 4-H member Jo-Marie Martin makes perfect and it helps him get a boost in confidence.
Both Lawrence and Ciavoliello are part of the Halton 4-H’s beef club. The pair has spent years getting to know their bovine babies since they were calves. Everything they have done with their animals has led up to this moment.
They have washed, walked, fed and loved their cattle over the years. Lawrence describes his companion Holly as needing to get know someone first.
"If a stranger comes up and takes her for a walk, she won’t walk. She has to get comfortable with you first,” Lawrence said, explaining he earned the trust through brushings.
Tibs Premier Snowflake, or simply Snowflake for short, does not like being bathed by her caretaker Ciavoliello. He notes that might have to do with the cold. Otherwise, “her temperament is amazing. She is very calm when I’m handling her,” he said, adding that she is “a really good walker.”
The 102-year-old showcase of agricultural achievements will begin on Nov. 1 and come to a close on Nov. 10.
The stakes are high as over 5,000 livestock animals will compete in various categories, from as big as horses to as small as rabbits.
The fair may be a competition, but both Ciavoliello and Lawrence enjoy it for its genial environment. Entrants often lend a hand to people they are competing against and making new friends at the competition is not unheard of.
For this reason and the skills they learn from Halton 4-H, both recommend youth to check out the club. It should also be noted that next year will be Lawrence’s last year with 4-H as he will be aging out of the club.
“Our motto at 4-H is ‘learn to do by doing,’” Ciavoliello said. “I’ve been an independent kid. I just play off others and others would teach me. Then I would do my own thing and that's exactly what we do in 4-H.”
More information about the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair and Halton 4-H can be found on their webpages.
