Crowds flocked to the weekend’s Kyneton Show, smashing attendance records.
More than 8000 people attended over the two days, with numbers up more than a third on the last show three years ago.
“It was the combination of the fact that the show is loved so much and people had been looking forward to it for so long,” Kyneton Agricultural Society secretary, Josephine Rutledge, said.
Attendance for the Friday night carnival was double the last show.
“The atmosphere was electric. It was absolutely amazing with the great weather,” Ms Rutledge said. “People just loved being back together and being at the showgrounds and enjoying everything that we put on for them.”
Numbers were also up by 1000 on the Saturday with more than 5000 people through the gates despite wet weather and the horse competition delayed until early next year.
“It had no impact. It was amazing, the children running through the parkour soaking wet, just having the time of their life and that’s what’s so great about a country show. They didn’t care about getting wet,” Ms Rutledge said.
There were also record entries across the traditional pavilion competition with 2571 individual items entered from flowers to fleeces
Ag society president, Andrew Ferrington, said the pavilion competition was a highlight.
“It’s just great to see, the work that gone into the smallest detail to the biggest items like a two-metre-square quilt and all the children’s creations,” he said.
The LEGO competition has become so popular it now has its own pavilion, which was a hit with crowds who marvelled at 200 entries of all size and subject from entrants of all ages.
“What an extraordinary effort, from the volunteers, from the people who put entries in, to all the people who came to the show, you know rain hail or shine we had it all,” Mr Ferrington said.
“People come from Melbourne and we even had Queenslanders here, but it’s a microcosm of the town and the district,” he said. “It’s about the community being in one place at one time. It was amazing.”
