The 70th annual Lundar Fair is coming up, and with it, 70 head of cattle for showing.
On June 14 and 15, Lundar will be bustling with tractor pulls, beer gardens, home living exhibits, chore competitions, fireworks, face painting, and horse and cattle shows. The local 4-H achievement and North Interlake 4-H District interclub show will kick off the fair on Friday, including 4H members from the Lundar 4-H Beef Club, the Dolly Bay Beef Club, and the Interlake Trail Blazers. Following the show at 4:30 p.m., the 4-H clubs will have their steer sale, where people can purchase the steers through an action.
On Saturday, the beef show will last all day. This year, the Lundar Fair is hosting the Manitoba Shorthorn Summer Show, with a Simmental, Hereford, and mixed breed division. The beef show has bull and female classes, each judged on confirmation and soundness. Cynthia Wirgau, beef director of the fair, said the judges are looking for animals with lots of depth, length, body, and a good set of legs.
Most participants in the cattle show are 4-H members, some from clubs in Ontario and Roblin, Manitoba. The show’s jackpot is $1,000, which means a $500 prize for first place, a $300 prize for second place, and a $200 prize for third. The jackpot is sponsored by Enns Brothers, Leo’s Sales and Service, Reykdal Ag and Security, and Patterson Grain.
The show will start with calendar-year calves, yearlings, and two-year-old bulls. Then the female showings will start, starting with heifer calves, going into yearlings heifers, then two-year-olds with calves, and mature females with calves. The junior show will mostly be females, but there is a steer showing too.
All cattle shown at the Lundar Fair cattle show are clipped, groomed, and looking their best for the judges. Wirgau said a lot of people come out to show their cattle to promote their herds, gain some prospective buyers, and to have fun. This year, they’re expecting about 70 head to be in the show, which is near normal for them, with anywhere from 60 to 80 head being shown each year.
Showing the 70 head so far will be 30 different exhibitors, 12 of which are new to the fair. The registration for the show has been extended, and Wirgau said they’ll accept entries up until the Friday night before the show. She encourages people to enter the show and compete against other breeders, and encourages everyone to stop by the show and watch.
“Come on out, have some fun, and watch to see where you can purchase your next bull from,” she said. “It also gives you the chance to see the different genetics out there.”
Breeders are always using new sires and different bloodlines, which means the cattle show at the fair is different every year, even with the same showers. The registration fee is $10 for the show, and all are welcome.
