Originally Posted by
gardnergal970
QuiltE...what is it that you do that keeps you at the Royal for two weeks? And the other fairs....did you run an exhibit or something? If this is all paycheck for you, I hope they are paying you well. You sure put your all into it! BTW....your prizes are well deserved since you do such careful piecing. And I know s couple of them you whipped out in short order! Well done!
I too find the larger blocks awkward after the 6 inch ones. The 6 inch ones have made me a much better piecer for sure.
Believe it or not, at The Royal, I will not be working for Dairy ... most of the time I will be working for Veal and a couple days for Beef! Though often times we find that the boundaries are fuzzy! Yes, it's in a display booth where I will be. Mon-Fri there will be hoards of school kids coming thru .... it's crazy crazy crazy ... and we spend a few minutes with them in a "teaching" mode. In Beef, we have a cow's stomach, and explain about the four parts. It helps them understand why a cow can eat feed that we humans cannot! I'm not sure what the Veal display will be and what interactive elements there will be. They do have a very good video about veal housing and conditions, to help the consumer understand the truths ... and dispel the myths.
What I really enjoy is the spontaneity of the questions ... we have no clue what we will be asked, and you need to be ready to answer properly! A response that makes sense to a farmer, can easily be misconstrued by a non-farmer, so it's critical to talk to their level and not have their minds going down a different thought path (eg. re animal acitivists). Research has been done that proves people "believe" farmers ... unfortunately, we are not always out there telling our story, so the untruths get planted ... and then we have a hard time getting them righted.
There is nothing more rewarding than to have a conversation with someone at these venues ... and as you talk you see the "lights" go on, as they have an aha moment! In all honesty, sometimes I feel I learn as much or more than the people I meet and talk with, as I think things thru for the best appropriate response for them. There's always something new that we get asked!!
And yes, there are times we get asked what we think are the obvious ... eg. do male cows have babies ... you soon learn to take it seriously for their sake!!
And at times like that, it helps reinforce "why we do this"!
As for pay ... yes, this time I am employed by the commodity groups. Am I "well paid"? Probably not, but I look at it that
all expenses are covered, I do get an hourly rate ... and it's really not that hard. I stand around ... and talk! PLUS the bonus ... I see people from across Canada, USA and all round the world that I only get to see at The Royal!! (*hint* GGal and OKSGlad you could come!! ... anyone else too!) And another bonus, nightly there are horse shows, which being there working, one can usually make connections and find a "way" to get in for free!!
I won't go all the time, but will catch most of the heavy horse shows, I expect!
The Royal just has its own sense ... and I love the Royal ... so when I get a chance to work it, I'm all over it!