Opening weekend at The Royal is Farm fresh Fun

Royal Agricultural Winter Fair celebrates world of farming, fresh local food until Nov. 16

TORONTO, Nov. 9, 2014 /CNW/ - Visitors got a taste of country life in the heart of the city Saturday as opening weekend of The Royal Agricultural Winter Fair got off to an action-packed start.

Featuring 10 days of diverse programming which celebrates all that's new in the world of farming and fresh, local food, The Royal takes place from November 7-16, 2014 in the Direct Energy Centre and Ricoh Coliseum.

Day 2 of The Royal's 92^nd season was filled with activities, competitions and entertainment.

"We've made sure to stick close to the traditions that keep visitors coming back to The Royal year after year and generation after generation, but we've also introduced a lot of great new activities to help people learn about farming and enjoy food experiences in fresh news ways," said Sandra Banks, CEO of The Royal.

A small selection of highlights from Saturday include:

• You can't 'beet' it! In the always popular giant vegetable competitions, Joanne Borcsok of King, Ontario set a new Royal record with a giant 62.6 lb beet.
• Semi-final rounds of The Road to The Royal Chef Challenge, presented by TSC Stores, were held at the new Food & Lifestyle Stage with Scott McRae of David's Restaurant, Port Dover, and Brett Potruff of The Forks Restaurant at the Arlington Hotel in Paris moving forward to the finals on Saturday, November 15, with host Ted Reader.
• Amber Marshall, star of CBC's Heartland, met with fans and signed autographs in advance of her appearance at the Ontario Dealers Rodeo on Sunday, November 9.
• Captain Canada Ian Millar won the Greenhawk Canadian Show Jumping Championship for the eleventh time
• Beef Cattle Shows Crown their Royal Champions:
  • Hereford Show Grand Champion Female MHPH 521X Dainty 105A owned by Ridgeview Farm, Medonte Highlands Polled Herefords, Hailey Goble and Grand Champion Bull NJW 73S W18 Downhome 21Z owned by William & Audrey Lyons, Dalmuir Farms, Ned & Jan Ward
  • Shorthorns Grand Champion Female – Hill Haven MQ Breathtaken 19B – Owned by Hill Haven Shorthorns, duntroon, ON and Grand Champion Bull – Shadybrook Platinum 1Z – Owned by Shadybrook Shorthorns, West Brome, QCAnother highlight
  • Limousin: Grand Champion Female – Koyle Avril "L" 10A – Owned by Koyle Farms and Grand Champion Bull – TMF Zodiak 342Z – Owned by Hollee Limousin

The coming days at The Royal will feature hundreds of competitors and performers, ranging from families that have been participating in The Royal's competitions for generations, to top chefs from across North America and big-name entertainers.

A full schedule of events can be found at www.royalfair.org/schedule.

The Royal Agricultural Winter Fair is supported, in part, by the City of Toronto and the Government of Ontario.

About The Royal:

The Royal Agricultural Winter Fair is the world's largest combined indoor agricultural and equestrian show.  This year, The 92nd Royal Agricultural Winter Fair runs November 7-16, 2014 in the Direct Energy Centre and Ricoh Coliseum in Toronto. For competition schedules, live webcasting, results and to purchase tickets, please visit www.royalfair.org.

Image with caption: "Amber Marshall from the hit show Heartland meeting a fan. (CNW Group/Royal Agricultural Winter Fair)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20141109_C6647_PHOTO_EN_7760.jpg

Image with caption: "Ian Miller winning Greenhawk Canadian Show Jumping Championship. (CNW Group/Royal Agricultural Winter Fair)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20141109_C6647_PHOTO_EN_7761.jpg

SOURCE: Royal Agricultural Winter Fair

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