Pssst… Do you want to buy a duck? Or sell a goat? How about a donkey? Then the annual Lloydminster Rare and Exotic Fall Sale on Sept. 27 is for you. The sale, which has been running for 31 years, is popular with hobby farmers and attracts about 800 people from Alberta and Saskatchewan each year.
Ashly McKinnon is one of them. She’s bought and sold various animals since she purchased her first rabbit about seven or eight years ago and now raises Dutch rabbits and Holland mop rabbits.
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“I just really enjoy different types of animals,” said McKinnon. “I grew up on a farm and my parents encouraged me to learn. If I saw an animal there that I’d like, they made me do my research about it before we bought it.”
McKinnon’s hard work has paid off, and she’s raised ducks, donkeys, goats, sheep, cows and horses.
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“It’s a very popular event, both if you’re buying and selling, or if you’re just coming down to show your family the different animals,” said Sam Hardstaff, agricultural manager of the Lloydminster Exhibition Grounds.
“I would say that there’s a wide range of people who attend. There are people who want to get pets for their new acreages and there are lots of older people who are bringing in new animals too,” said McKinnon.
The event is hosted by the Lloydminster Exhibition and is run by volunteers.
Entries are accepted at 8 a.m. Sales of small, “boxed” animals like guinea pigs, rabbits, chickens and pheasants run from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m and are followed by sales of larger animals including goats, pot-bellied pigs, Shetland ponies, and donkeys.
There’s also a spring exotic sale, held the second weekend of April each year.
