The 103rd edition of the Rainy River Agricultural Society Fall Fair last week was, by all accounts, an outstanding success for all involved—except, of course, for those lucky(?) market steers that took home the ribbons and hardware.
Unfortunately for them, they won’t have much time to bask in their glory because by the time you read this, some of them will be basting in a roasting pan instead.
The unusually hot weather presented some special challenges for man and beast alike. Kudos to all those showmen and women who had to stand in the broiling sun with their animals, which for the most part, just wanted to lie down in the shade somewhere.
Most impressive of all were the young 4-H members (some of whom were as young as 10 and weighed less than 100 pounds) who did a magnificent job of controlling animals that, in some cases, weighed more than 1,000 pounds.
If that wasn’t a feat of athletic skill and endurance, I don’t know what is.
• • •
Steve Arpin of Fort Frances is a wanted man, but those gunning for him will have to wait until next year for another shot.
Arpin won both feature races at Emo Speedway in conjunction with the fall fair over the weekend—despite reported bounties of $1,000 and $1,500 on Friday and Saturday nights, respectively, to anyone who could beat him.
He currently is racing stateside and won’t be back in Borderland until next season.
Arpin had a little bad luck Sunday in Duluth when he was clipped by another car that had spun out and forced him out of the race, but he says all is well and he will be back on the track by this weekend.
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The loggers’ competition at the fair in Emo probably was the sports highlight of the weekend. Loggers from throughout the district competed in nine different events—all designed to test skill, speed, and safety.
Nine-time champion Gaston Godbout of Fort Frances obviously was the sentimental favourite, but he ultimately bowed to Kelvin Caul of Devlin, who also took the safe logger award.
At 75, Godbout was, by far, the oldest competitor, but he certainly didn’t look out of place. In fact, he won three events outright and teamed up with his grandson, Duane Loveday, to take a fourth.
I hope I look and feel that good when I’m his age.
• • •
On another note, I noticed with sadness the passing last week of one of Canada’s greatest war heroes and a man who was an outstanding athlete in his own right.
Lt. Col. Fraser Eadie (ret.) passed away in Oakville, Ont. on Aug. 10 at the age of 86. The last commanding officer of the famed 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion, Eadie later served as the godfather to generations of post-war paratroopers.
His reputation as a feisty, inspirational leader of warriors is the stuff of legend, of which much has been written and undoubtedly much is still unknown to all but those who served under him.
I met Col. Eadie in May, 1995 in Cambridge, Ont., when he and a dozen or so of his band of brothers marched in the parade celebrating the 50th anniversary of V.E. Day. Even at the age of 78, he struck me as one who didn’t suffer fools gladly and the kind of man I wouldn’t dream of messing with.
He had an unmistakable aura of toughness about him that obviously was unaffected and typical of all the men who wore the maroon beret.
And like many in the battalion, he was an outstanding athlete in civilian life. Born and raised in Winnipeg, Eadie had an exceptional career in junior hockey and in 1942, he was offered a contract by the Chicago Blackhawks.
Since he already was in uniform with the Royal Winnipeg Rifles, Eadie—with the abruptness and decisiveness that so endeared him to his men—more or less politely reminded the NHL club there was a war going on and perhaps it would be a good idea to take care of that first.
After the war, he became a senior executive with the Ford Motor Company, but never truly left his airborne family. He served as honourary colonel of the Canadian Airborne Regiment from 1989 until it was disbanded in disgrace in 1994—a political decision that rankled him and all the battalion’s members to this day.
Editor’s note: “Sideline Passes” by Joey Payeur will return next week.
Fort Frances Times
Local News from Across the Rainy River District
