THIS year’s 140th Horsham Show will be significant in more ways than one.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
The milestone event will feature a new layout and will also take place on newly-named land at Horsham Showgrounds.
Horsham Agricultural Society owns the land on the east side of the main arena. In previous years, the show has run on this land and in other parts of the showgrounds, including along McPherson Street.
From this year, the society’s land will be known as Maydale Reserve, and will house most of the attractions for the show.
Society secretary Andrea Cross said talks to name the land started earlier this year.
“We didn’t actually realise that the land was already called ‘Maydale’,” she said.
“When promoting that the 140th show was going to be on ‘our land’, it became a marketer’s nightmare, because the description was long.
“We adopted Maydale Reserve to define the area, as the Maydale Pavilion is built on this land and people familiar with it know immediately which side of the showgrounds it refers to.
“We think Maydale Reserve is perfect for our few hectares of land, which is a hidden gem in the heart of Horsham overlooking the beautiful Wimmera River.”
Mrs Cross said the Maydale name came about in 1915, when the May family gifted a paddock at the showgrounds to the society.
She said the book The History of the Horsham Agricultural Society by the late Ian Maroske told how the committee voted on the land’s name. “Because there was already a May Park in Horsham, three alternatives were considered: Mayside, Maydale and May Grange,” she said.
Mrs Cross said Maydale was selected for the 13 acres of society land, which would be the centrepiece for this year’s show.
She said the 2018 Horsham Agricultural (Riverfront) Show on September 29 and 30 would include outdoor dining and roving entertainment, workshops, kids activities and live music.
“In addition, we are relocating the home produce and craft competitions from the far west into The Cattle Shed in the far east,” she said.
“It means we’re only using half of the showgrounds. It’s the half no-one ever sees, but the most scenic half.”
