mi stotuesunrtntiunewksaturdoyst 20g7 5 fair president still horses around by hannelore volpe staff writer blair purcell is this years markham fair president hes proud of the new events at the fair scheduled to draw in new visitors along with the emphasis on the events rural and agricultural character mr purcell has been immersed in his family business his entire life his dad lionel purcell began raising shet land ponies in the 1950s the senior purcell originally had his pony farm on birchmount avenue nearsteeles ave nue before moving lionels pony farm to mccowah road on the whitchurch- stouffvillemarkham border in 1982 blair purcells skill with horses has led him to travel extensively pursuing his dream of driving a large wagon with a team of clraft horses from 1984 to 1986 the 43yearold visited towns across the united states with the coors wagon and a six or eight draft horses which was used to promote the brewery a true family man the former stouffville clipper junior c hockey play er makes it a point to treat relatives his whole family is involved in the fair and other staff members at the fair as his fair family q what is new at the fair this year aza daily parade there hasnt been one since the fair moved to its current location on mecowan road at elgin mills road in 1977 the old fair was in markham at highways 48 and 7 the parade starts at 1130 am the thursday of the fair friday and saturday its at 6 pm and sunday at 1 1 am there will be many breeds of horses in the parade and there will be signs naming the breeds also the pony rides and pig races will be moved to near theeast entrance there will be daily fireworks culminating in a spectacular show the saturday evening of the fair q how is the fair reaching out to students a two years ago we put together a curriculum that works with schools last year we saw an increase in the number of school children oyer previous years this year some schools will be com ing from as far away as etobicoke and oshawa q are you involved in any specific preparations for the fair 10 minutes with blair purcell an occasional feature with whitchurchstouffuilles newsmakers a one day a year i go to the farm of harry and esther lewis with my horses theyre hitched to the wheat binder we hand gather the wheat its kept for threshing at the antique farm machinery display at the fair q where did you get your love of horses a from my family my dad lionel has been showing ponies since the 1950s q how has lionels pony farm grown over the years a at first we were just offering pony rides to the public we had close to 100 ponies through the 1966s and 70s the other animals came mainly through donations from various people around 1998 1 bought my first team of belgians from murray grove now we can offer more wagon rides and sleigh rides at the farm q where else would people have seen your horses besides on the farm a the horses have been used in film work we provided horses for all the road to avonlea and anne of green gables tv shows when the gbc needed horses or other animals for shows or movies they would call dad qwhat was a low point in your life and business a we lost all of our show ponies in a fire at the old location when we moved here we had ponies who survived the fire because they were living outside q what in your educational back ground helps you in your work a i graduated from the king campus of seneca college as a farrier and was certified in truck driving from george brown college in toronto i also com pleted an electrical certification course i hut pt 9la bs8i iss feature interviews with fayjnamic york region entrepreneurs who will share their success stories showcase growth industries and emerging technologies provide resources for york region entrepreneurs profile innovative ideas from the hottest markets around the world feature an entrepreneurs advisory team who will offer advice on how to run a successful small business provide business management tips and informative business advice si yorksmillbusiness on rogers television york region aurora cable york small business tv ysbtv is an informative magazine styletelevision show that will inform and inspire anyone who has ever dreamed of starling a business from september 5th to november 28th ysbtv will be broadcast on rogers television channel 1 0 in newmarket georgina east gwillimbury rogers channel 63 in vaughan richmond hill markham whitchurchstouffville and king and on aurora cable channel 10 monday 830 am 12 pm wednesday 800 pm thursday 630am friday 500 pm 800 pm sunday 1 000 am 100 pm ysbtv is made available through the generous sponsorship of york 1 1 deloitte ontario w o rogers- wrcgfo rsrsst q do you compete with your horse team a i competed in the world belgian horse show in 2000 in columbus ohio in 2004 in london and i am hoping to go to indianapolis in 2008 q what was a highlight during your years in the us ai while in the states i was asked to help put together a 40horse hitch for a museum in wisconsin that keeps circus wagons from ringling brothers garden brothers and other circuses i was able to help them for a couple of years and had a chance of driving the 40horse hitch q what do you find most exciting in the equestrian field a it is still a thrill to sit up on the wagon in competition thereis no greater high but it can be devastating if you have to pull out of the class q what is a fair highlight for you ai the fact that the trophy i won for junior high point winner at the 1977 gymkhana horse show is still given out to winners every year they get their own keepsake trophy but their name is inscribed on the original trophy which stays with the markham fair for more information gp to markhamfairca staff photosjoerd witteveen markham fair president blair purcell remembers vividly winning a junior horse trophy at the fair 30 years ago york regions highly successful water efficiency program has been ongoing for the past nine years during the program over 245 000 early closing toilet flappers and 104000l6w flow showerheaols have been installed in the homes and businesses in york region 1 i d ta r massaging showerhead toilet flapper these water saving devices are contributing to the 203 million litres j of water per day saved by the overall program in although the new installation phase of me program has ended york region is committed to maintaining the i achieved water sayings into the long term if you have a problem with the early closing toilet flapper or low flow showerhead installed by water for tomorrow just cus at 18002154060 r and well mail out to you free yjontarwsrisingstar replacement devices yolfafuigufh markham vauglwn rkhmondhill newmarket aurora georgina whitchurchsloujfvine east gwillbnbury king tbgetlfor in york region ii