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Wednesday, September 2, 2009 Orono Weekly Times - 5 PONIES Continued from page 4 Fair and the Lindsay Fair. This year, they are hosting the "Spirit of the Horse" booth for their breed to inform the public about the attributes and history of the Newfoundland Pony. Ranging in height from 11 to 14 hands high, and weighing between 400 and 800 pounds, the Newfoundland Pony can come in a range of colours from black, to brown, to roan, to grey. "All are compact in build and move with very neat steps. Except for the common low-set tail and the close forelegs, some strong resemblance exists to various modern British breeds of mountain and moorland ponies," noted the NPBA website. "They are very hardy, they have a wonderful gait, and they have a naturally intelligent nature. They are so willing and obedient," said Scanlon. If you've never seen a Newfoundland Pony and yet it Loyal Printing Ltd. "Everything with the printed word" Colour photocopies .35¢ 5310 Main St., Orono L0B 1M0 · 905-983-5301 sounds familiar to you, it may be because it was recently featured on a stamp issued by Canada Post to recognize the contribution of the pony to the early settlement of Newfoundland. Harry Hutchings, President of the NPS, said in a statement from Canada Post, that the stamp ensures the breed will have a permanent place in Canadian history. "I am particularly pleased to see the Newfoundland Pony shown on the stamp against the rough cliffs of Newfoundland" he said. "It reflects the harsh climate where these Ponies survived and worked for the benefit of our ancestors." Now it is the breeders who are working hard for the benefit of the ponies. Besides the Scanlons, Barb King and Rick Hurvid at the Homestead Hills Equestrian Centre on Jewel Rd. in Kendal are also trying to save the rare ponies. With 12 to 15 ponies on their farm, King and Hurvid are breeding the ponies too. Hurvid, like Scanlon, is a board member of the NPBA. "We're the only two farms in this area that have Newfoundland Ponies," said Jan Scanlon, as both farms were preparing to show at the Orono Fair. They hope that as they spread the word about the breed, those numbers along with the numbers of Newfoundland Ponies - will go up. For more information on these ponies, go to www.npba.ca, or www.newfoundlandpony.com. New school-age agricultural program designed for Fair school-age program since the retirement this year of Allan Kirby, the school teacher at The Pines who organized the activities for years. "It's a big role that we're trying to do, filling in Allan Kirby's shoes," says Hartwell. "I'm trying to find the right words for how big those shoes are to fill. He did an amazing job." Hartwell says he was approached by Fair manager John Conrad to take over the games and modify them for a more agricultural theme. "We program at the Kendal Community Centre called Friends & Fun. He has coached softball and soccer, and lead a Beaver group for Scouts Canada. One thing that won't change is the annual school parade on Friday morning at 11 o'clock. According to Hartwell, David and Sharon Staples, who organize Saturday's Fair Parade each year, will also organize the school parade as well. It is once the children arrive at the fairgrounds at noon on Friday that things change, Hartwell says. Then they'll be put in the bleachers to have their lunches, and they'll be addressed by Conrad, the Fair manager. Next, the elementary group will learn "The Farming Song" -- written by Richard Johnson for Agriculture Awareness in Durham 2007, and paid for by the Durham East Junior Farmers. Part of the new program involves the primary grades (grades 1, 2, and 3) visiting all the various booths and demonstrations at the fairgrounds, including demonstrations of sheep sheering, and cooking, poultry, fruits and vegetables, maple syrup, and pioneer displays. Teachers FAIR see page 11 by Sue Weigand There's a brand new elementary agricultural education program at the Orono Fair this year that has organizers excited about next Friday afternoon -- the traditional time that local school children are allowed to forsake their regular classes to get bussed to the Fair . "It's going to be a blast," says Shane Hartwell, the organizer responsible for one of the new activities, the Farmer's Olympics for Kids. Although the midway will not be open, there will be lots of fun things to see and do for the children, and there are a lot of changes from previous years. "Certain things have changed," says Hartwell, "particularly with the agricultural program." The reason for the changes is that the Fair Board has taken over the "It's going to be a blast" -- Shane Hartwell now have games we've never done before, to put the kids in a more agricultural mindset," he says. Hartwell is a well-know volunteer in the schools. He is one of the organizers of the Battle of the Books program. And he also ran a children's