The showground will be eerily quiet this weekend, during what is normally one of the liveliest, most eagerly anticipated dates on the Wagga calendar.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
With the Wagga Show cancelled due to coronavirus restrictions, the committee will instead be resigning themselves to a relatively uneventful weekend.
Show society president Bruce Ryan said normally in the weeks leading up to the show the showgrounds would be in pandemonium, with organisers scrambling to pull everything together in time.
"It would have been mayhem here and very short fuses," Mr Ryan said.
"Right the front gate there would be wall to wall side shows, rides, stallholders, exhibits, crafts, the whole lot."
Vice president Jenny Hodges said she normally looked forward to the mayhem, with the team wading through the chaos and managing to pull off a successful show each year.
"It's always chaos, but it's organised chaos," Ms Hodges said.
"Everyone's got their job and they do what it takes. We manage to pull it together."
She said this year had offered up a different kind of chaos for the showgrounds, which sheltered evacuees and animals from the Dunns Road fire and is now hosting the COVID-19 pop up clinic.
IN OTHER NEWS
Riverina Millinery Association president Dianne Barbour said it was a pity that the craftsmen and women wouldn't be able to show off their handicraft at the show his year.
She said it had been a rough year for creatives in general, with exhibition events being cancelled across the board due to coronavirus restrictions.
However she said Wagga's milliners were using the downtime to hone their craft and learn new techniques via Zoom, and that residents should expect to see a new level of fashion when events return from lockdown.
"Because we haven't been able to offer anything this year we've decided to provide all those Zoom courses for free," Ms Barbout said.
"The Millinery Association decided they should use their money to spread a bit of joy."
Mr Ryan said the show society was also using the downtime productively, doing landscaping, building, and other "showground renos" in preparation for when life returns to normal.
"We've got to keep going, look forward, and hopefully we can build towards a bigger and better show next year," he said.
Kenji Sato
Kenji Sato is a handsome journalist at The Daily Advertiser who enjoys writing flattering bios about himself in the third person. He can be contacted by email at kenji.sato@dailyadvertiser.com.au or by mobile on 0448 927 612.
Kenji Sato is a handsome journalist at The Daily Advertiser who enjoys writing flattering bios about himself in the third person. He can be contacted by email at kenji.sato@dailyadvertiser.com.au or by mobile on 0448 927 612.
