The Glen Innes show has closed for another year.
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The Examiner took dozens of photos over the weekend.
Budding artist Sarah Fletcher had a huge win at the Glen Innes Show, and is looking to turn it around in Sydney.
Last year her drawing of the Celtic Festival drum major was hung at the royal Easter show. That’s a huge honour in a competition with far more entries than wallspace
This year she won both first prize in her section for a drawing called Kookaburra and over grand champion artwork for a piece called Smoko.
“I love it; art was my favorite subject at school by far,” she said.
“I’ve always kind of been into art, I used to colour in, enter colouring in competitions as a kid.”
From wool classing to pet judging, cooking to home brewing, the show was bigger and more colourful than ever. Traditional events like stud cattle and the ute show continued while there was more opportunity for new people to enter.
This year’s showgirl competition was tightly contested, with three entries. Pharmacy student Sarah Le Fevre and Emma Woolfe, both 18, were runners up.
Twenty-two year old Katie Shearer is the 2019 showgirl. She accepted the award, complete with moonboot, on Friday night. The award was presented by rural photographer and Deepwater local Edwina Robertson, this year’s show celebrity.
Show president Andrew Hancock said they would be “ambassadors, not just for the show, but for all rural women”.
“It’s not easy being judged but the personal rewards for the experience will be fantastic.”
They were interviewed by judging panel Kate Dance, Margaret Te Velde and John Bower. Each entrant delivered a small speech on a country woman who has inspired them, and were interviewed by the panel alone.
Cooking chief steward Mary Hollingworth said they had far more entries than usual. She was particularly enthused by the increased interest from young people.
“The support from the schools were just really incredible,” she said.
“In one class (from high school) I think we had 30 entries.”
She said they even judged one competition live, as they do in the Royal Easter Show. They had 18 entries in the to win the Meredith Morshel feature cake prize.
“The marquee was full, there was lots of pressure; the judges found it very difficult to distinguish.”
“But in the end, a lovely local baking enthusiast and mum, Kara Jones, was the winner and she was on hand to see the judging and to accept her prize.
“Her three young boys I think were even more excited than Kara was herself.”
