Wairarapa A&P show returns tonight after a two-year covid induced hiatus.
The iconic show kicks off at 6pm and will run until Sunday, featuring a variety of activities from scavenger hunts to lawnmower racing, carnival rides, pets, and trade exhibitions.
Event organiser Sue Rayner said it was “all go” setting up the showgrounds yesterday.
She said it was her first year organising the event, which had been cancelled twice because of covid-19.
“We are really very excited to be back, everyone is getting organised. The grounds are looking really good.”
Rayner said the event had been around for 145 years, but because the last two years had been missed, this year’s A&P show was the 143rd.
Organisers said the cancellation in 2020 was not an easy decision, with society president Melvin Pike maintaining it came down to being “responsible”.
“This covid-19 pandemic has been hard on our members as a lot of them are older and more vulnerable,” he said at the time.
Rayner said the show first began at the Carterton rugby grounds and moved to its current Clareville home 40 years ago.
She said it was a highly anticipated event, recalling attended as with her dad when she was younger.
She said since then the show had grown year-on-year and this year’s event would see its highest number of cooking entrants and a return of sheep racing.
The show will begin tonight from 6pm until late, and tomorrow and Sunday from 9am to 4pm.
