Fair no longer about agriculture

To the Editor:

Gone are the days of Oxford Fair with sheep shows, poultry shows, dairy goat shows, beef shows, dairy cow and rabbit shows. Exhibitors would stay for the week so the public could come and learn from the breeders how to raise these animals and develop interest in owning some or getting their children into 4-H. We had lamb, kid goat and dairy calf awards for young people to raise and train and then give one back for the next year's award. This kept the project going and then on award night at the fair, it was a big deal for the families as well as the children. The one I started was for goats, and now that the kids have grown up, their parents are showing their herds from those starter animals and this is how the next generation learns and gets into raising animals and becoming farmers.

Where are they going to learn to be the future farmers of America? Not at Oxford Fair. The last few years, breeders of different animals have been driven out of the fair because of the way they were treated. Last fall it was our turn and believe me it was bad. I was Chairmen of the show as always, we had 195 goats in the show, as well as the 4-H kids showing the same day. There were empty pens that they wouldn't let us use and it seemed like every time someone set up, they were told to move. It got worse. When I was showing my goats, the superintendent tried to take a gate that was keeping one of the 4-Hers goats in and they got into it. The superintendent's daughter told them that they didn't want the goats at the fair anyway and they hoped they didn't come back.

I chaired this show for 20 years and always got along with the fair officials. We had a horrible time trying to find a place to put all the goats even though they knew the numbers of goats that were coming in to show. Even rings on the wall of the show area were gone where we used to tie our show lines. There were empty pens in the main building that we couldn't use even though the animals weren't coming in until the next day. While I was running the show and in the middle of showing my own goats, the livestock superintendant told my show secretary that she wanted to see me in her office right now. I knew it was probably about her encounter with the 4-H family because everyone was complaining about the way they were treated. I was not going to climb that staircase that has at least 15 steps with my arthritic knees to have her rant at me for something I had no part in.

I tried to meet with her and the president after the Fair was over, through the extension agent, several times to talk about what happened and how we could make it better, but it never happened. It seemed like there was no room in the inn. That day I was so embarrassed for the way people were treated. The Chair plays the role of being the hostess, when people come to my house I pride myself on being a good hostess, and there were other incidents. The night before the show, my show secretary, my daughter and I put up as many pens as we could and they were filled the night before the show.

Then I received a letter in mid-winter saying they were not having any goat shows. How are families and young people going to make a connection to learn how to breed and care for animals without breeders at shows? What happens at Cumberland Fair is that the goats come in on the first Sunday and then go home the day after the sheep come in; we do the same at Bangor Fair.

So the question is this. What is Oxford Fair’s Mission Statement? Bull riding? Trapeze walking? Shooting the man out of the canon? And a rock band. A small private market lamb and baby beef show and horse racing and gambling and maybe a Casino? So Oxford Fair didn't have an Agriculture Day for the school kids this year either. Basically Oxford should call itself a petting zoo or circus. I hope the Dept. of Agriculture is not giving them any of our tax dollars, because they are not supporting Agriculture.

Is land that the founders of Oxford Fair Association bought to promote agriculture going to be passed on to or sold to the Casino reps? How can they get away with that? November 2nd after the casino vote, the rep of the casino was on the news that night and said they haven't decided where to put it yet, but would break ground the first of February. Give me a break. Like they would not know yet is a joke. They think we are all sheep that are going along for the ride?

Letters from all of the exhibitors and how they were treated, have been written and sent to the department of agriculture.

Helen Ramsdell

Denmark