Those working the gate said the numbers were good compared to previous years for the first day, with one person working the gate having to call in another for help during the first hour.
Two regular Ex patrons Katlyn MacDonald and Megan Ellis, both 17-year-old Truro natives. As they walked through the AgriDome they couldn't help but stop when they came to the miniature horses on display.
"We come here every year," said MacDonald. "We'll come to go on the rides."
"We come here to see everything," added Ellis.
For Ellis, the exhibition gives her a chance to look after the three horses her family owns.
"I'm usually here every day because I go to the barn to look after the horses, but then I'll meet up with somebody for the day," she said.
Not far away, Luke McLellan worked diligently on Cinderella, the two-year-old dairy cow, in preparation for today's dairy show.
"I've been showing for about 15 years now," said McLellan, a 25-year-old Noel Shore resident who's been working for the past two years with Maple Hill Farms in Old Barns.
"I like the competition of it."
It takes McLellan about an hour to get each cow ready to show.
"We have to wash them and clip all their hair off. On their back, we have to level it out and make it hard on top."
He said work needs to be done to show off the animal's dairy qualities.
"They are judged on their body conformation - which has the best udder and legs, that sort of thing," said McLellan.
The five-day exhibition continues until Saturday. Highlights for today including the dairy show, goat show, set jumping and homegrown fiddling music. The four-cylinder demolition derby begins at 7 p.m.
For the full schedule and prices, visit www.nspe.ca.
Truro Daily News
