Gearing up for annual town and country Show

A109 Light Utility Helicopter flight with mayor Gisborne City from the air in November 2023.

THE Showgrounds Park looks a picture ahead of the annual Poverty Bay A&P Spring Show and show manager Erica McNeil has said “everything is on track” for the annual town and country get-together.

Ground preparations have been carried out over the past six weeks.

“The grounds are looking good,” Mrs McNeil said.

Trade space for the event has almost all gone, with just a couple of sites left in the Wine and Food area.

The show association committee and their helpers was holding the usual working bee today to carry out further preparations, with a final working bee on Thursday.

The equestrian entries for the Show were the last to close.

“We have close to 2000 entries ?this year,” said equestrian secretary Claire Moss.

“The showjumping and showhunter classes are on a par with last year, but the dressage, harness and showing entries are all up.”

The dressage competition will be staged on Sunday from 9am.

“In all we would have around 360 horses and ponies entered across all the equestrian classes this year, so the horse lines will be a busy place.

“There’s quite a lot of quality in the entries this year so it should be a very good Show.”

The rigs carrying the sideshow equipment have been parked up at the showgrounds for a week or two.

The main Show days will be October 18 and 19, with the dog trials under way on Wednesday (October 16) and the big equestrian programme on Thursday (October 17).

• An error in The Herald’s annual calendar had the Show on this week.