The stockyards will be a busy place this week with the hustle and bustle of the 80th annual Williams Lake Bull Show and Sale.
The event has had a long, storied history in the lakecity, from the early days when cattle were shipped via the railway from the stockyards along the lake to more modern times now at the Williams Lake Stockyard facility on Cattle Drive north of the city where prized bulls travel by truck and trailer via the highway.
Buyers and sellers, who will all receive 80th anniversary show and sale commemorative vests this year, have made their way from all parts of the province to attend the special show and sale, as an estimated 158 Angus, Charolais, Gelbvieh, Simmental, and Hereford bulls will be sold to the highest bidder.
Everyone is invited to attend, with the show getting underway Wednesday at 1 p.m. at the Williams Lake Stockyards. The Williams Lake Bull Show and Sale will also be hosting its annual Buyers and Sellers Social starting at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday at the Williams Lake Curling Club.
On Thursday, the bull sale gets underway at 11 a.m.
Businesses taking part in the popular agricultural display at the stockyards will also be on hand both days to show off the latest and greatest products for ranchers.
Wilf Smith, who’s been with the bull show and sale 30 years, is expected to officially announce his semi-retirement at the show.
“It’s been a big highlight in my life, that’s for sure,” Smith said of the show and sale.
“The best bulls in the world come to Williams Lake. It’s been one of the greatest events we’ve ever had.”
This year’s judge for the bull show will be Mike Altwasser, manager of the Blue Goose Cattle Company.
