1946 – 2026 Watching Steinbach Grow: Fair at Grunthal highlights Hanover Centennial
Advertisement
AUGUST 19, 1981—The annual Hanover Agricultural Society Fair kept the Village of Grunthal hopping last weekend, highlighted by RM of Hanover centennial celebrations and a mortgage-burning for the remaining debt on the community pool.
The fair opened Friday morning with a parade organized by Jack Tanner, marshalled by Ken Holme and boasting 44 entries, four times as many as last year.
The Guenther float, celebrating 49 years for the family in the grocery and hardware business, won first prize in the local commercial category.
Grunthal Prancing Hooves and Companions won the 4-H Club category with a second-place tie between the St Malo Ghost Riders and the Grunthal Profit and Pleasure Beef Club.
Dressed as Ukrainian dancers, Shannon and Daryn Chornoboy were joint winners in the bicycle decorating contest for ages two to ten. Their prize was a BMX bicycle. Tracie and Melanie Sawatsky split a $10 prize in the over-10 division.
Other events Friday included an open horse show and goat show at the arena in the morning. Barbecued chicken was served up at the fire hall, sponsored by the Grunthal Broiler Association, at noon. A sheep show at the arena was the first event of the afternoon..
Fair exhibits at the school were open from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. and the first day of the fair wound up with a pet show and dog obedience display at 8 p.m. at the arena.
It was another busy day Saturday, starting with a pancake breakfast, followed by a Manitoba quarter horse show, exhibits, little league baseball tournament, and dairy and beef cattle shows.
The highlight of the day, was the cow milking contest was won by Ernest Froese, who filled his milk bottle in four seconds. Hanover Reeve John Loewen represented the municipality well, losing to Froese by only half a second. Others attempting to develop a firm handshake included Emerson MLA Albert Driedger, who posted a time of 13 seconds, and La Verendrye MLA Bob Banman, who showed he was much better at selling Volkswagens than milking cows.
Highlight of the evening was the burning of the $15,000 mortgage on the Green Valley Park pool by Grunthal Credit Union manager Hallis Kensey and Grunthal Sports Association vice-president Bill Sawatsky.
Exactly 200 tickets were sold at $100 each to raise funds to pay off the mortgage and provide a $5,000 prize for the draw, which was won by Harry Peters of Steinbach.
Jack Tanner, who sold most of the 200 draw tickets, received a citation from the Manitoba Department of Fitness, Recreation and Sport and a plaque from the Grunthal Sports Association.
An Arabian horse show Sunday morning was followed by a special centennial celebration, sponsored by the RM of Hanover featuring Low German musical comedy group Locusts and Wild Honey and the Grunthal musical group Odessa.
Free hot dogs were supplied by the village and agricultural society.
The 1981 fair closed with an evening fireworks display.
Hanover Agricultural Society secretary Elsie Janzen says overall attendance at the fair was up from the previous year, with Sunday’s centennial celebration program alone drawing an estimated 1,000 people.
