Polish up those cowboy boots for a weekend of boogying in Nanaimo’s biggest barnyard.
Barnyard Boogie is the theme of this year’s Vancouver Island Exhibition that happens Friday to Sunday, Aug. 17-19, that gathers together celebrity goat milking competitions, a comedy logger sports show, tribute rock acts as well as original musical talent from around the south B.C. Coast region.
Wondering how goats are milked? Jaki Ayton of Snapdragon Dairy, Fanny Bay, shows how it's done at the Vancouver Island Exibition in Nanaimo that opened this morning and run until Sunday, Aug. 19.#Nanaimo #VIEX @NanaimoBulletin pic.twitter.com/cv024yUdsr
— Nanaimo Bulletin (@NanaimoBulletin) August 17, 2018
New entertainment and exhibition attractions this year include the Laughing Loggers, a Vancouver-based, fast-paced lumberjack sports act jacked up with a few twists that include exploding outhouses and a good dose of humour for the whole family.
“I saw them actually in Victoria. Very entertaining,” said Brian Cornborough, VIEX president. “I think people enjoy logging sports and we haven’t had them in the last couple of years … you’ve got to see this act. It’s like nothing else that we’ve had.”
Musical entertainment carries the weekend on a nostalgic note with tribute acts that start Friday with An Acoustic Tribute to Fleetwood Mac. The Beatles Experience, the Joe Cocker Experience, Pure Petty, and A Night of Bowie will relive rock legends on the main stage.
Vancouver-based country trio, Washboard Union, locks in the fair’s country family focus as Saturday night’s main stage headliners.
It wouldn’t be a country fair without animals. Heavy horse displays, goat hoof trimming, dog agility with the Nanaimo Kennel Club, and B.C. Dairy display are all part of a long list of animal attractions that this year also includes the Raptors, showcasing work with birds of prey in demonstrations where the B.C.-based group shares with the public its passion for the birds and the need to protect them and the environment.
“The one thing we don’t have this year are rabbits because of the scare of the disease that was going around … the goats are important because we always enjoy the competition between groups in town … to see who can milk the most. The RCMP won it last year, actually,” Cornborough said.
Shooting Star Entertainment sets up the fair midway for those looking for thrill rides.
Notorious RC is back again this year, demonstrating radio-controlled car racing, along with chainsaw wood carving by Dan Richey and vintage tractor demonstrations by the Mid Island Vintage Tractor and Equipment Club
There will be plenty of beer served up at the fair’s beer gardens that will have a family-friendly section again this year.
Last year about 19,000 people attended the exhibition and as always weather will be a major factor dictating fair attendance and beer garden sales.
“Our big concern is we want perfect temperatures,” Cornborough said. “Not too hot, not too cold. We want people to enjoy the fair all day, but also be open to a beer gardens to quench their thirst … We’d love the weatherman to be on our side.”
For more information and schedules, visit www.viex.ca or check out the program published in the News Bulletin earlier this week, available at this link.
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