Inverell
THIS year’s annual Inverell Show went off with a literal bang on Saturday night, in the best way possible.
The Sapphire City’s show underwent a bit of an overhaul in the lead-up to its 144th year and it would appear the changes were well received.
Show society secretary Tracey Colley said attendance levels across the three days – last Thursday, Friday and Saturday – appeared to be up on previous years.
Entries in a number of categories that struggled a bit last year were back up, too.
“All in all we had a great response across the board,” Mrs Colley said.
“There were about 30 sections for people to enter, from livestock to knitting.
“We made a few changes, in the hope of making a trip to the show a family day that went all day.”
Those changes included non-stop entertainment during Saturday’s program.
In the lead-up to the final fireworks on Saturday night – the big bang – showgoers enjoyed trot races, a wife-carrying competition and lawnmower races.
“There were lots of other fun, novelty events, too,” Mrs Collyer said.
“We really wanted to be able to create a program this year that had something everyone would enjoy and would make them want to make a day of it with their family.”
Other drawcards this year included the travelling Bundaberg Rum distillery.
“People loved walking through, trying the molasses and seeing not only how the rum is produced but also the history of the company,” she said.
“A giant ferris wheel was also popular.
“We had a number of new rides brought in this year and they were all crowd-pleasers.”
The 136th Tenterfield Show was also held at the weekend with great success.
The Tenterfield and Inverell shows were the first in the northern region.
More will be held over the coming months.
Next will be Armidale and Barraba shows on the weekend of March 1, followed by Tamworth on March 8 and 9; Gunnedah on April 12 and 14; the Narrabri Show on April 26 and 28; and the Bingara Show on May 25 and 26.
