Livestock and handlers are starting to file into the International Trade Centre in preparation for Canadian Western Agribition, which kicks off next week.
Adding stalls and grandstands to the buildings at Evraz Place began about a month ago.
“If I was to compare it to a car dealership, we sell Lamborghinis here at Agribition,” said CEO Chris Lane.
Agribition runs from Nov. 19 to 24.
Storage buildings become barns, Cooperators Centre rinks become space for trade shows and the Brandt Centre becomes a rodeo arena. The ice is still there, with boards and dirt on the top.
“They have an inch of Homasote board, which is like pressed paper, that’s solid and then they put poly on top, and then what we’re standing on is cleated plywood,” Rene Levesque, manager of operations at Thomas Sand and Gravel, which provides dirt for the rodeo.
Once the plywood is tight against the boards — 60 loads of dirt is brought in and graded for use.
Livestock from eastern Canada started arriving at the grounds on Friday. Chiara Farina brought her yearling bull Rolling Thunder all the way from Ottawa. It’s the pair’s first time at Agribition after qualifying at Toronto's Royal Winter Fair.
“He’s always been attached to me since he was just a day old,” Farina said.
Once all the livestock has moved in, there will be about 1,500 purebred cattle at Evraz Place. Alpacas and Texas Longhorns will also be joining the events this year.
“Those longhorns are something to see,” Lane said. “I think we’ve got a couple here with horn spans of about 10 feet.”
Last year, around 127,000 people came out to Agribition. Organizers hope to see similar numbers through their gates next week.
