2014 OAAS Convention – Saturday Morning Roundtable Summaries

#1 - Ideas for celebrating 4-H Ontario's 100th Anniversary

• Fair theme
• Life skills and livestock achievement at fair and crops – 4H classes and open
• Make sure 4-H is identified -> logos signage
• Have a 4-H Awards Night include the Ag Society
• Special 100th 4-H float in the parade -> each club decorated a bale on the float
• Roadside decoration competition -> have on a wagon so it can be moved to promote 4-H
• 4-H member free admission to RAWF
• Special decorated cakes
• Provide financial support for 4-H members
• Make next year's theme for the fairs is celebrating 4-H in Ontario
• Have a separate class for 4-h skills , call leader to find out what clubs have been done and what classes they would like to see, do not have to pay a membership fee
• Organization committee where club can set up a display for no charge
• Opened some sections up-> 4-H posters board category
• 4-H displays (need extra space for this theme)
• Had one of 4-H Ambassadors come to the fair, participates with the kids, part of the opening ceremonies, helped at the beef show, interacted with youth
• Homecraft -> to have some categories that are 4-H related
• Variation in theme-> Heritage, Harvest, Heart , Home
• Inviting local 4-H to the fair
• Signage posters for kids and adults
• Given 4-H 2 8ft tables to do as they with, bring alot of handouts, haves someone manning the table and bring small animals
• 4-h is given dominance in the fair, and their 4-H classes will be moved out there
• Will be setting up historical area
• Display old 4-H manuals the old spoons etc.
• Hope that 4-H Ontario will have advertising on this
• New programs and expanding the information about it out in to the community
• Fairboard-> feed the 4-H kids, want something to do something else special for the kids
• 4-H clubs have a space
• Make a quilt all done in green and white and sell raffle tickets
• Fair opening make them part of it
• Get media coverage about 4-H
• Put 4-H logo on the pamphlet handed out at gate
• Use social media put the 4-H logo on their facebook
• Radio coverage
• Commemorative ribbons
• 4-H Parade around the grounds, have the 4H'rs wear special shirts, long red ribbon, have every kids with scissors cut ribbon to open fair, have cow, horse etc, in parade
• Invite the former 4-H members /volunteers to the fair
• Livestock classes for past 4-H members from 50's, 60's, 70's etc.
• Class for displaying 4-h spoons
• Community dance and ask for 4-H memorabilia, to have on display
• Gather trophies and create a display case at fairgrounds
• 4-H current membership get into fair free
• 4-H membership card 50% off
• 10% off ride coupons with 4-H card
• Have Maple the Cow to help teach
• Invite a 4-h Ambassador with displays or ice breakers
• Cupcakes-> get a cupcake when finding out information on 4-H
• Big birthday sign to post for 4-H to have at the fair, give to the 4-H to use at their fairs/clubs
• Ask about using logo maybe get permission
• Parade, cut ribbon -> give a 4-H kids a t-shirt
• Regional show -> parade of all kids come in and introduce each county in the region
• Arena floor is being dedicated to 4-H
• Booth staffed by 4-H so they can give out information
• Promote it to adults to get leaders
• Education is huge
• Check 4-H Ontario website to see what information is out there
• Live stock shows and Homecraft Competitions
• Have each club do something/activity with fair
• Special awards-> specific to 100th –special 4-H ribbons
• 4-H birthday party
• Ask 4-H Ambassador to attend fair, have a booth
• Mobile trailer booth, to promote all area 4-H clubs
• Kids Day stations-one is 4-H , hand out information
• 4-H fashion show, model what they make, have show with fashions from all the decades/ past projects
• Open exhibit/display area for 4-H memorabilia display
• 3 or more generations of square dancing show

#2 - Dealing with pets(other than service animals) on the Grounds during the Fair

• Only allowed Sunday at pet show must leave after ( this is to be put in prize book)
• Rules set NO EXCEPTIONS!!!!!
• Have a "doggie daycare"
• Must be firm and directive with the rules
• Had to enforce "no dogs"
• Time line whether animals allowed
• Common concern with all fairs
• Dogs in farm animal areas
• Allow pets or ban completely -> leashed and muzzled
• Adult at gates or with youth people
• Have a kennel facilities available for small charge
• Pet show-> honour system, not during busy time
• Biosecurity -> keep away from farm animals , so no disease spread
• No pets in food areas: health problems
• Fair goers with allergies from dogs
• Signs at gates re: leashed and muzzled or no dogs allowed
• Make garbage cans with poop bags available
• Bring back to "risk management" not liable for your dog
• Children carrying snakes around the grounds, great concerns for the public, director asked to put away
• No pets signs distributed
• 3rd party with the ground owner provides the property for an event , person is bitten then the suing process begins
• If the dog is visible at the gate, the person is denied access
• Midway staff-have dogs leashed
• Kennel provided , could be a fundraiser
• Exhibits building serving food, no dogs hand to control, Health Dept, will close down
• Advertising to inform the public only service dogs
• Proper signage for fairgoers
• Consider putting pet rules on exhibiters forms
• Kids don't understand difference between good and bad dogs
• Muzzles could be used
• Agility course for dogs could bring your own dogs, keep in one area
• A vendor had a dog- bite someone
• Moved the pet show from Sunday afternoon to Friday night
• Signs to keep dogs out of animal areas
• Gave passes to people who took pets home after pet show

#3 - Effective ways to Share Volunteers, Equipment and ideas with your district societies

• Kids to help volunteer gets shirts and feed a meal to each day
• Sign up sheet for Jr. Members 12 years to 21
• Cadets for gates 7% their take
• Joint concert and share cost and profits
• Share staff
• Scouts or Guides help to clean up grounds
• Work together and to get a shared resources
• Council members to help- schools looking to raise funds for trips
• Get kids to do junior executive
• Merge 2 fairs
• ALL equipment has to have a contract
• All keys have to be signed out
• Have a list on O.A.A.S. site about extra equipment for rent
• Share one night at another fair for volunteers
• Hire a hockey or service club to work gates gets a percentage
• Weekend can have an effect for volunteers
• Kids for community hours-> go to schools
• Retired business employees volunteers businessmen given money back to their organization
• Share rental equipment
• Rent gates-> borrow from other fairs
• Organization donate tents, and do gates student do bracelets
• Time of fair can have effect –summer or fall
• Can buy stuff then rent if afterwards

#4 - Showcasing Farm Gate Produce at your fair

• Host market tent-> with displays cooking demos form Foodland Ontario
• Fresh vs. store
• Keep segments short
• Handouts
• Cooking demos
• Chef's challenge -> Royal used as protocol need commentator
• Community showcase(locally produced/business
• Outdoor vendors of fruits and veggies
• Ag Alive tent
• $75.00 for 4 days booth cost -> shared volunteers/vendors
• Use central cash for vendors-> each vendor has a receipt book
  -profit over $500 share with fair board
  -host debit machines
  -hosted by fair board
  -corn bin for kids to play while parents shop
  -Scouts do crafts at slow times to bring in crafts
• Local vendor parks close to gate
• 50'x20' space
• End of September
• If in August will have more vendors
• Exhibitors fee $200. 00 for 20' space
• Leave enough room near gates where people can see it
• Meet your local farmer – in a tent
• Represent each producer with table dairy, fruit, veggies, beef
• Fair pays $125 to each producer to be there and give out samples for free
• No selling from the meet and greet tent
• Have dressed up "mascots" bring people free samples
• Great commodity promotion -> set out expectations to producer for what you want from them i.e.; examples , pamphlets educating
• Cooking classes with local produce
• Farmers market on fairgrounds
• Put a few vendors near gate on Sunday afternoon, so people leaving fair can pick up their items
• Charge a small amount for rental space
• How do you separate market buyers from fair goers at the gate?
• Theme: farm gate to dinner plate
• Display at front gate or inside building
• Farmers market just inside gate for parking no charge to use market
• Separate committee to manage vendors
• Giant pumpkin -> seeds for directors competition

#5 - Fabulous Programs for Children

• Youth talent show
• Colouring activity in Homecraft area, also a scavenger hunt one item form each area of Homecraft
• Grain and corn play tables
• Lumber company-sponsors craft tool box or bird house free to take home
• Children's games sack races, 3 legged races, cash prizes
• Bike rodeo
• Winner of talent show perform on last day of air, get their prize money when they perform
• Teddy bear contest -child dresses up too
• Mom and dad calling contest, skipping hoola hoop, tricycle races
• Kids world -> childfind
• Blow up house –shiners' (kids programs)
• Animals-fish ponds
• Small train for kids
• Pizza project -> 8 slices of farming -> show how pizza is made-> partner with pizza place-> milk producer, each child takes a tomato plant they planted
• Animal shelters for kids to climb inside
• Touch the textures of the plants and crops
• High school students for volunteers hours
• 4-H design activities for the kids
• Face painting
• Mini tractor pull
• Family circle tent -> entertainment from convention, corn table, Maple the Cow
• Petting zoo
• Agriculture Awareness for Grade 4
• Lego bin so they can build
• Colouring pages
• Dog show
• Education day for grades 3-7
• Set up as stations to fit school program
• Scavenger hunt
• Youth talent competition
• Lawn mower races 4-H age and up
• Kid games loonie in straw
• Balloon animals
• Corn table
• School competitions
• Touch the truck-> kids like to touch combines, fire trucks, tractors , army equipment
• Local museum to do a display
• Pony rides
• Junior fair area
• Baby show
• Plowmans farm yard, different them each year
• Station for quieting down children
• Little Rays Reptiles , face painting, balloon animals, tent rental for junior fair and 4-H
• Start with parade for children, treasure hunt, business donate prizes to business
  Kiddie corral – learning station to walk trough set with bales of hay
• Dinner theater for fundraiser
• Building designated for children
• Farm equipment – John Deere for children to play with
• Pumpkins to decorate
• Kinsmen have a tent bring in straw , clothes from Goodwill to make scarecrows
• Make ice cream sundaes
• Zucchini races-> build a car out of a zucchini and race it
• Baby races
• Bike draw-> drop off @ local schools then have the kids bring the ballot to the fair to drop off, must be there to win
• For each child's entry into the fair they get a penny sale ticket
• Pet show-> stuffed animals best dressed, biggest , unique name
• Corn box
• Games of chance- water bottle ping pong
  - Bow and arrows
  - Fish pond
  - Bean bag toss
  - Plinko
  - Hockey shoot out
  - Face painting
• Wheel chair races
• Draw for schools
• Rader gun (police officer) how fast can they throw the ball, hockey shot
• Lollipops tree
• Trail through barn(like scavenger hunt)
• Volunteer run
• Ag Education for Grade 3's curriculum orientated
• Outdoor Stage-> entertainment is geared towards younger youth
• Home Hardware sponsors craft for kids; bird houses, plant carrots
• Library tent mats to sit on read story and craft, have a story hour
• Needle in a haystack – wood dowel buried in bale with hay probe , kids rip apart the bale to find dowel
• Dance school – performers plus a slash mob, filmed on web facebook
• Passport system for children
• Secret garden quiet games and activities for parents to take children
• Early years children's program will loan free equipment for activities
• Cookies donated so kids can decorate and eat
• Straw roll out – kids find popsicle
• Texting program

#6 - Hand Quilted versus Machine Quilted versus Long Arm

• OAAS must set standard
• Made and quilted by owner- must be proven
• Judge long arm differently
• Encourage exhibitors to attend judging schools for quilts
• Develop close relationship with Guilds - so they understand OAAS rules of competition and how they may be same…or differ…with their own - as they can ensure future of competitions
• 5 year process for making any change
• Prize books must have complete/accurate and up to date rules for OAAS competitions
• MUST use OAAS trained judges
  -Should we use quilt judges who don't quilt? if you don't "do" you don't quilt?
• Judges need to get over "colour barrier"/ colour discrimination"
• Why not category for "art quilts"
• Long arm 8' & 4 '

# 7 - Grants and Funding Sources

• Possible Sources: - Summer Jobs for Students program Celebrate Ontario Tourism,Trillium, OMAF TD Bank Fed.Dev - Esso – 500 Canada Post , Accessibility , Monsanto.ca, Agri Spirit, BMO ( retired
  employees) Pioneer, Bruce Nuclear, ( check Websites) GF2/Growing Forward 2, Foodland Ontario, Check Regional Gov't, County, Municipality for grants
• CFDC will help with writing
• OAAS should provide application "how to"
• OAAS should maintain inventory of Societies that have been successful…ask them to mentor others
• Proper wording important
• Answer questions thoroughly and honestly
• Trillium has chat room and great workshops for new applicants

#8 - Effective Ambassador Program

• Draw from 4-H, Junior Farmers, High School
• Have nomination plan to encourage candidates
• Use local sponsors who will find their own candidates…ie summer students, sons/daughters of employees
• Have past participants recruit new candidates
• Ensure judges are "from away" and don't know competitors
• Set complete guidelines and provide to competitors early on.
• Use CNE rules of competition so ambassadors become very familiar with requirements
• Make competition more than just a speech and fancy dress
• Bring in guests to "educate" ie Toastmaster to assist with speeches, esthetician to help with grooming, coaches for posture, meet & greet…..
• Consider Junior Program to help prepare for Senior Ambassadors, perhaps even Little Prince and Princess
• Question: is it time to move away from tiara and sash??
  How do we remove impression of "beauty contest"?
• Promote the benefits of the experience
• Instead of impromptu questions, pull object out of a bag and ask candidates to talk about it
• Post everything on the website
• Use ambassador from one fair as judge for another
• Involve competitors in competitions throughout the fair and choose winner at end of fair

#10 - Code of Conduct

• good to write down so you can refer back to if there is an issue
• some fairs are working on policy and procedure manuals and writing code of conduct
• research other code of conducts to get ideas
• common courtesy is disappointing
• need conduct guidelines for meetings at fair and committees
• it is just framework
• what should be in it
• needs consequences
• don't want to be over burdened with process and documentation
• if you don't want a code of conduct how do you deal with conflict
• how much effort can be put into this journey
• if you had a written code would it stop negative behaviours
  -need a policy or procedure to deal with conflict
  -don't have resources to deal with complicated processes
  -the process in writing it would be valuable
• is it review annually
• how do you train new directors? Orientation main component
• 24 hour rule- wait 24 hours before you take action or complain
• No business profit
• Recommend police check for directors
• O.A.A.S. has one
• Milverton has a contract to be signed had a visioning and strategic sessions to determine market

Round Table #11

• Strategic plans, policies, procedures and constitutions
• Not accessing policies and procedures
• Need to hand out to all people on the board
• Procedures need to be look at and updated
• O.A.A.S. guidance with updating
• Encourage fairs to bring constitutions to next year's convention to share , hard to update but need to be reviewed every year
• Long process
• Decisions are often made without consulting policies and procedures
• Some fairs are not sure what the constitutions are or how to use
• Concerns on how to handle problem member
• A code of conduct is an issue at some fairs, how to handle personal conflicts, how to fire a volunteer?
• Bullying within the board, how to handle this?
• Policies on how to handle extra money in bank accounts, reserve spend reinvest
• Did up a policy and procedure manual
• OMAF will sit down with you and advise the step you should take to establish a policy manual
• Should be updated every two years
• O.A.A.S. should give guidance to new people coming onto a society
• Every delegate should be required to attend at least 2 seminars and round tables to be paid , also give a written report
• Bring copies of constitution to share next year
• Transparency some cannot understand policies
• Making small changes that make an impact
• Start with surveys to understand about your