The second annual Rabbits B.C. Classic was held at the North Thompson Fall Fair and Rodeo Agriplex on the weekend of Sept. 6, with entries from around the province and participation by local Yellowhead 4-H youth.
An English Spot rabbit owned by 21-year-old Samantha Wick — who travelled with her rabbit-breeding family from Delta — won best in class on Sept. 7 for her three-month-old rabbit simply called "364," who is yet to be formally named.
"English Spots are most known for their markings, a visible colouring down the spine and the spotted design on both sides," said Wick. "They are quite curious and friendly by nature." When asked how long she has been involved with raising and showing rabbits, she replied with a smile "Since I was born."
The show in Barriere kicked off with the Rare Breed Show on Sept. 6, following some fun youth events in the evening. On Saturday and Sunday a total of four Open Rabbit shows, three Open Rabbit Cavy (guinea pig) shows, a Rex (domestic breed rabbits) Breed show, Florida White Specialty, and English Spot Specialty shows took place in the vendor exhibition hall inside the agriplex.
Local Yellowhead 4-H youth are being encouraged by North Thompson rabbit breeders to become more involved in raising and showing rabbits and cavies within their club. Sisters Olivia, and Zoey Fountain both belong to 4-H and have been raising their Rex and Polish rabbits for two years now, along with goats, sheep, and chickens they show during the North Thompson Fall Fair and Rodeo and the British Columbia Agricultural Exposition (BC Ag Expo) each year.
"I love Ag Expo," said Olivia. "It's my favourite and coming up soon. It's not as hot then to show our animals as it was for Fall Fair and it's just so much fun!"
The girls' mother, Tamara Fountain, is very supportive of the Yellowhead 4-H programs. "They really enjoyed the recent Showcase Demo Day on Aug. 10 with all of the 4-H projects being shown and learning more about how to show projects."
The BC Ag Expo's mission is to highlight the benefits of supporting and promoting agriculture through youth. Approximately 225 dedicated 4-H youth will gather to celebrate their hard work and dedication to their projects each year.
4-H members show the animals they have raised throughout the year in a number of categories, which include beef, sheep, lambs, goats, rabbits, cavies, horses and dogs. Additional categories include small engine repair and photography.
Ag Expo is just around the corner, and is taking place at the NTFFR grounds from Sept. 18–23. For more information about Ag Expo, visit their website at https://bcagexpo.ca/.
