There's always excitement around the showjumping arenas. Pictured is Sally Ward from Waipukurau riding Paradox at last year's CHB A&P Show.
The 104th annual CHB A&P Show begins this Thursday November 10, and continues through to Saturday, November 12.
There's free entry through the gates of the Waipukurau Showgrounds on Thursday and Friday for people to enjoy the opening two days of the dog trials and equestrian dressage and showjumping events, before the main Show Day on Saturday.
After cold and showery conditions plagued last year's show, and disruptive strong winds which threatened to topple the 2014 event, CHB A&P Society president Chris Menzies was hoping for better weather in 2016.
"I haven't checked the long-range forecast so I don't know if that is going to be good or bad karma, but we've never had a complete disaster," said Menzies, who is overseeing his fourth A&P Show.
If the weather co-operated, he expected more than 4000 people to visit the showgrounds over the three days.
"People like it because of its good, rural atmosphere. It's got a stronger rural connection than, say, some of the other larger shows and that's what people like about coming here."
The theme for this year's show is Innovation. Menzies said the theme would be reflected at a new event on Saturday afternoon, The Hawke's Bay Farmer of the Year Roll Call, which will pay tribute to the many previous winners of the competition hailing from Central Hawke's Bay.
"The competition has been going for 40 years, and CHB farmers have won the competition three years out of every four, basically," Menzies said.
"[Farming commentator] Steve Wynn-Harris will be the MC and we've also invited Grant Charteris, the current champion, along. A few of the previous winners have died but I've contacted most of the others and we'll just have a roll call and call them up and say a few words about them.
"As far as I'm concerned they've not only farmed well, not just in the year they won the competition, but all their lives and contributed to new technologies, and that's something worth celebrating."
Menzies said another innovative event on Saturday will be the wakeboarding demonstrations in Russell Park on two 20-metre long, eight metre wide pools made from hay bales and silage covers.
Organised with the help of Trevor Rowlands, the owner of Backpaddock Lakes wakeboarding park at Takapau, the demonstration event was all set to go ahead at last year's show but had to be cancelled when two large inflatable pools failed to cope with the water pressure and began to leak.
"We ended up just flooding the place," remembered Rowlands, who said there would be a large rail between the two pools and an electric winch which enable the wakeboarders to jump between the pools and impress the crowd with their aerial trickery.
"Hopefully there'll be seven or eight wakeboarders from all around the country there, throwing down on the day and entertaining the crowd. Most of these guys compete on the national circuit so they've certainly got an array of tricks they can show everyone."
Along with the finals of the dog trials and equestrian events, other highlights of Show Day on Saturday will include the shearing and wool handling competitions, trade exhibits, vintage cars and machinery displays, competition cars and stockcars, highland dancing displays, a children's zoo, the always popular Terrier Racing, and the exciting Top Team Challenge.
Once again the country's biggest amusement ride operator, Waikato-based Mahon's Amusements, will be providing the fun and games at sideshow alley on Saturday.
Managing director John Mahon said apart from a break for a few years, the business - which was set up by his late father Bill more than 60 years ago - had been attending the CHB A&P Show "on and off, for the best part of 25 years."
Though not on the same scale as the Hawke's Bay A&P Show in Hastings, he promised there would be rides to thrill both young and old.
"We'll have a couple of good rides there. The Sizzler I think is coming this time, which hasn't been there for many, many years so that'll be for the older ones.
"And then I've got the Dragon Wagon to give the kids a little mini-roller coaster ride.
"There'll be some jumping castles and some games, and some lovely hotdogs and all sorts of things. So we are looking forward to a fine-weather show," he said.
The show ends on Saturday night with the bull riding event beginning at 6pm and running through to 9.30pm, with all the action shown on a big outdoor screen.
Show president Chris Menzies said the bull riding had proven to be a crowd favourite and popular way to draw the show to a close over the last 10 years.
"A lot of young people come into town for it, we run into the dark, stick some lights on and there's always plenty of action, plenty of loud music and it's just a good, fun place to be."
Menzies said there were 20 riders entered in the junior section and 30 riders in open section for the event, which also doubles as the opening round of the Parklee Central North Island Bull Riding Series, but he predicted the bucking bulls would be the ones left standing.
"It's the first event of the season and the bulls we bring in will have had a good rest. They normally come out with a real spring in their step!"
- Tickets: There is a separate entry fee for the bull riding on Saturday night - adults $15, children 15 and under $5, under 5s free, family pass (two adults, two children) $35.
General show admission is the same as for the bull riding.