Tavistock Fall Fair celebrates little ones at 42nd annual Baby Show

Cora Hackett has her arms full with twin daughters Abigail and Bailey. Kaylee and Kyle Debus hold twin daughters Payton and Palmer. Diane Danen photo

By Diane Danen                                                                                                                                                                                                

The 42nd annual Baby Show at the Tavistock Fall Fair was held on Sunday, Sept. 7 at 1 p.m. and the littlest members of our community brought plenty of smiles to the crowd.

The show was organized by the baby show committee led by Gloria Wettlaufer with members Kathy Rosenberg, Linda Holst, Lisa Zehr and Janet Heinbuch. Wettlaufer also served as emcee for the afternoon. The judges were Sheri Bell, owner of Tavi Chill, who has lived in Tavistock since 2011, and Lily Pullen, the Tavistock Fair Ambassador for 2024-2025.

The baby show is always about fun and community spirit. No matter what the categories may be, every child participating goes home with a gift bag. Members of the audience were given a free ticket giving them the chance to win valuable door prizes throughout the afternoon.

This year’s event was made possible thanks to the generous support of Tavistock IDA along with donations from Subway, Tavi Chill, Realtor Sandra Eby, Scotiabank, Yantzi Home Hardware and many members of the community. Sadie May Harrett and Linda Holst donated books, which were included in each gift bag, and winners in each category had the chance to pick out a book to take home. A total of 25 children were registered this year.

There were gifts for several special categories including youngest registered and youngest walking on their own. The youngest girl registered was Madelyn Tallulah James Schumm, daughter of Morgan and Jordan. The youngest boy registered was Elijah Kenneth Vincent Kaufman, son of Scotty and Michelle. Both babies received a gift of money from baby show convenor Elaine Weicker.

The youngest baby walking on their own was Payton Dawn Marie Debus, daughter of Kaylee and Kyle. Payton received a prize donated by Sherill Calder in memory of her mother, the late Beatrice Krug. Krug, along with the late Erma Heinbuch, helped organize the very first baby show.

In the girls’ zero-to-six-month category, Evelyn Sarah-Anne Cassidy, daughter of Hanna and Ethan, was recognized for having the least hair, while Rhea Ronnie Collins, daughter of Hanna and Mike, was chosen for having the chubbiest cheeks.

For the boys, Elijah Kenneth Vincent Kaufman won for smallest ears and Callahan Kenneth Earl Kalbfleisch, son of Kenzie and Kenzie, was recognized for having the most hair. A door prize for this age group went to Jayce Wallace Zoeller, son of Maggy and Dane.

In the girls’ seven-to-12-month category, Layla Maria VanBoekel, daughter of Denise and Kieran, took home prizes for biggest dimples and lightest hair. She also won the door prize for her age group, donated by Friends of the Fair.

In the boys’ seven-to-12-month category, Greyson Nicholas Lichti, son of Eric and Christine, won for both longest fingers and biggest smile. As the very first baby registered in the show, Greyson also received a gift of money donated by Brenda Wettlaufer.

The girls’ 13-18-month category saw Elliott Jacqueline Rae McKay, daughter of Brooke and Scott, win for curliest hair, as well as for having the longest given name. She also received the door prize for this age group, donated by committee member Kathy Rosenberg.

Ellis Quinn Steinman-Hill, daughter of Jordan and Trevor, was chosen as the friendliest baby.

Among the boys in the 13-18-month group, Wesley Jeffrey Beam, son of Dylan and Nicole, was recognized for having the biggest fist, while Aden Michael Le Pore, son of Amy and Graham, was noted for his long eyelashes. The door prize for this age group, donated by Wendy Bender, went to Emmett Tyler Smith, son of Cassandra and Allan.

This year’s baby show was extra special with not just one, but two sets of twins participating.              Abigail and Bailey Hackett, daughters of Cora and Wes, received gifts donated by committee member Gloria Wettlaufer. Payton and Palmer Debus, daughters of Kaylee and Kyle, received gifts donated by the Tavistock Agricultural Society.

The Tavistock Fall Fair Baby Show remains a much-loved tradition celebrating Tavistock’s youngest and reminding us all that the fair is about fun, family and community spirit.