High School students build a partnership with the Timmins Fall Fair

A partnership between Roland Michener Secondary School (RMSS) and the Timmins Fall Fair is creating a ripple effect. Students are learning how to build; the fair is getting some help; and the community is gaining knowledge about agriculture.

The RMSS shop class constructed display boxes for chickens, rabbits and turkeys that will be shown at the Fair in September.

"It gives them a chance to see something that they will be able to see in the community and show their friends and parents what they have done," said shop teacher Serge Rioux.

"I painted them all and put the chicken wire in," said RMSS shop student, Ramsey Pietila. "It was a fun project; I'd like to do it again sometime."

The Timmins Fall Fair only happens over one weekend in September, but organizers work throughout the year to teach people about agriculture. The new pens will allow for the Fall Fair's 'Grower Program' to expand. It involves the Fall Fair buying young animals from local farms to lend to families to learn how to raise the creatures.

"Part of their participation is to bring/pick animals that they raise to bring to the fair and they’re judged and then they get prizes for it so they’ll be on display at the fair for people to see," said Erin Rathbone, coordinator of the Timmins Fall Fair Grower Program.

President of the Timmins Fall Fair, Rock Whissell said the boxes made by RMSS students are: "going to allow us (have) two levels so we can double up the capacity so having these twenty-four new boxes is great for us at the fair."

The Andrews family from Timmins is participating in the Grower Program, by adopting two lambs--one for each son, aged six and three years respectively.

“We thought it was a good opportunity to get into it for them to learn a bit about farming before we dive head first into it.”

The Andrews bought a local farm a few years ago and is new to the lifestyle. Their lambs won't be in the boxes made by the high school students--that will be a project for another community partner.