Today we drove from Amherst to Truro, where the Nova Scotia Provincial Exhibition is underway.  It’s the Canadian equivalent of a state fair in the US.  The last time we visited a fair was the Iowa State Fair on Day 5.  We had to backtrack through town a bit after we encountered a bridge with 3.9 meter clearance, which is 0.2 meters shorter than our 4.1 meter height.  We paid the $3 parking fee to park in the field next to the fairgrounds.  The parking attendant told us we could use one of the overnight RV spots for free, so we picked one of the electrical posts and parked next to it.  After plugging in and having lunch, we walked down to the exhibition.

The typical livestock displays abounded:

For a cow, it’s cute:

In the main pavilion, we watched the Women’s Cart competition.  The drivers are judged on control of the cart in a variety of tasks: 

The horses walked in perfect synchronization:

Next up was the Ox Pull, where pairs of oxen pull increasingly heavy loads.  The ox team that pulls the most weight relative to the team’s weight wins.  Ox teams ranged from 2,500 pounds to over 4,000 pounds:

The sled weighs 1,000 pounds, and each concrete bar weighs 250 pounds.  The ox team has three attempts to move the sled a total distance of three feet.  Once every team has had their turn, 500 pounds is added to the sled.  The initial sled weight is 2,500 pounds:

2,500 pounds didn’t seem like much for these oxen:

The weight kept increasing and teams were gradually eliminated.  Pulling 5,000 pounds:

Pulling 6,500 pounds:

Pulling 7,500 pounds:

Pulling 9,500 pounds.  The oxen are really struggling now:

The winning team pulled 2.91 times it’s own weight:

Next up was barrel racing:

After the competitions, we walked over to another pavilion where more animals were on display:

On our way out, we walked through the horse stables:

This horse is being readied for an event:

We returned to the RV after dark.  Trish was very happy to be able to visit a fair this summer!  See the trip map for today’s drive and our current location.