Community
19 June, 2024
Mount Isa ready to put on a show for local families
Big crowds are expected at Buchanan Park on Friday and Saturday for the annual show.
The laughter of children will echo through the air at Buchanan Park over the next couple of days as the city prepares to flock to the annual Mount Isa Show.
Tomorrow is a local public holiday and Mount Isa Agriculture Show Society secretary Vicki Williams said she expected to see hundreds of families flow through the gates for the opening day.
“It’s looking really good; I reckon this is the highest number of stalls and food offerings we’ve had,” she said.
“I think that it’s a real indication that people are comfortable getting out and about with COVID gone.”
North West Weekly popped in for a look at the pavilion on Tuesday and found three Mount Isa Show greats pouring over some of the arts and crafts entries.
Judge Bev Wilmot wasn’t giving away anything, while stewards and Mount Isa Agriculture Show Society life members Caryll Evans and Edna Russell were busy making sure things were organised.
“I haven’t seen one entry that wasn’t worthy of a prize. It’s certainly a year of quality over quantity,” said Mrs Wilmot.
The Cloncurry Show had strong numbers in attendance last weekend and Ms Williams hoped that would be replicated in Mount Isa this weekend.
“It can be difficult when you open on the first day of school holidays because some teachers and families just get in the car and disappear on Thursday night or Friday morning,” she said.
“But we know Mount Isans love the show and we’ve got a lot of activities and entertainment on the program.”
She said the highlights for children would be the petting zoo, pig races and the presence of superheroes inside Buchanan Park.
For the bigger kids, the demolition derby and Saturday night’s boutique rodeo are sure to draw a crowd.
The secretary praised the hard-working committee for making it happen.
“Our biggest challenge is that we are a non-profit organisation and – no one is paid to do the work,” Ms Williams said.
“Most of us are also working full-time ... we started at 4 o’clock this morning to get the show stuff done before we had to go to work.”
The Mount Isa Show will open its gates at 9am on Friday and Saturday, with action at the venue running until late. A full program can be found on the show’s website.