Fair Days an event for all ages

Mother Nature smiled this year upon the organizers of the Blue Heron Fair Days.

For the most part, the rain held off during the most important times throughout the weekend. It rained early Saturday morning, but stopped just in time for the parade to make its way through town. The sun continued to shine throughout the remainder of the day, but in the early evening, it rained some more. Right before the open-air cinema, it stopped again.

On Sunday, clouds threatened to pour down rain, but the precipitation managed to hold off until near the very end of the day. It started to sprinkle just before the Canadian Mounted Shooters took to the rodeo grounds.

By all account, the 2011 Blue Heron Fair Days was a great success. Hundreds of people travelled to the fair ground throughout the course of three days, whether it was to watch cars and trucks smash into each other, or to watch cowboys and cowgirls strut their stuff in bull riding, team roping, barrel racing or steer wrestling.

Tammy Sharpe, of Prince George, B.C., travelled all the way to Barrhead to visit friends. Her and her children had a great time with the fair days.

“We’re just in town visiting friends, and this is our first time here in Barrhead,” Sharpe said. The two families met during a vacation in Mexico, and this marked their first get together since then.

“We’ve had an excellent time, and my daughters love it here,” she said. “They’ll want to come here all the time, because they think that Barrhead will always be like this. We have a rodeo in Prince George, but this is the real thing, and we don’t have farmers like you do in Barrhead. It was a good time, and we’ll most definitely come back.”

This marked the second year for the Miss Rodeo Barrhead contest. Three young ladies vied for the crown this year including Jasmine Deib, Sarah Ranson and Tayler Melin. Jasmine eventually was crowned the winner. All three ladies spent the weekend helping out around the fair grounds.

Miss Rodeo Barrhead organizer Brenda Fitzgerald said all royalties will continue to act as ambassadors for rodeo and for the town of Barrhead. They are all positive role models for young girls. All three girls demonstrate the qualities we are looking for in our contestants,” Fitzgerald said.