By Chris Tataryn Journal/Brandon

Kelly Brice has been announcing at rodeos for years, and has been a part of the Royal Manitoba Winter Fair since 2005, and he claims that while the show is different from what he normally does, the community and event are some of his favourite in the country. “The people here in Brandon are fantastic, and the volunteers are second-to-none,” said Brice. “It really is a world-class event here.” Brice says he started announcing events completely be accident, falling into the job at a rodeo he attended years ago. “I was at the rodeo, and apparently their announcer didn’t show up, so I was volunteered for it and I just enjoyed it a lot,” he said. “While I usually do rodeos, the Brandon fair is a completely different deal. Sure, there are still horses involved, but it’s a much classier Canadian event. I need to slow down my pacing a bit, things don’t just crack off like during a rodeo, but it’s still a lot of fun.” “Brandon knows how to celebrate agriculture right,” he continued. “It’s an agricultural community. They realize the importance of agriculture, while a lot of cities try and focus more on the urban aspect; Brandon reaches out to the country and brings it into the city. It’s the perfect recipe for drawing a crowd; Brandon really is a community-based-city.” Brice announces for many events during the fair, but his personal favourites are the horse jumping. “I enjoy the jumping as much as anyone who goes to the fair,” he said. “And the heavy horses are second-to-none. I want to keep coming back for as long as they will have me.” The Royal Manitoba Winter Fair is setting up to draw huge crowds again starting March 26 and going through until March 31 at the Keystone Centre.