Show time - Part 2

So North Devon show yesterday - where to start - I suppose at the beginning. (By the way you can look at the pictures better by clicking on them and they should enlarge)

We were to be working a stand for a local company that M is doing some work with. We went to set up the stand on Tuesday in misty, damp, drizzly weather. We had an inkling that it would be muddy and we weren't wrong! We managed to get into the ground through the mire and eventually found our plot. Unfortunately the first car and trailer (there were cars and big long trailers) had driven past it, so you reverse back to it don't you if you have a lot of heavy items to move; no you don't (we found) not in that mud. There were plenty of tractors about dragging people out of muddy patches so we managed to find one to drag the car and trailer back into a better position and then proceeded to get very wet and muddy. When it was time to leave we almost managed to get out of the ground until the last 200 yards when both vehicles (now with empty trailers) got stuck (and both were big 4X4's!). 4 very tired, wet and extremely muddy people made their way home for dinner and an early bed.

Up early Wednesday morning to get to the ground before the show started and yours truly read the signs wrong and took us up a road full of show traffic going to car parks for the dog show bit and other areas but not where we were supposed to park. It took us an hour and a half to do a 30 minute journey! Luckily the boss went the right way and was there in time for the show opening. We finally got parked and picked our way through the mud to the stand (picking up some breakfast on the way).

There were lots of food stalls at the show selling all sorts of food (and a catering tent too). There was fish and chips, Chinese food, burgers, roast pork rolls, hot dogs, crepes, ice cream and lots more I probably never found. there was also a wonderful food tent with various local food and delicacies including sausages, pies, organic meat, olives (possibly not local), cider, pasties, cheese, chocolate and lots of other yummy things.

Other tents at the show included arts and crafts, poultry, rural skills, countryside skills, Womens Institute, Young Farmers (no idea what was in there, never made it!), scouts (including a visit by James May of Top Gear fame), flower competitions, horticulture, you name it. Then in terms of trade stands again you had all sorts, banks, solicitors (!), wood burning stoves, garden furniture, agricultural machinery, clothing, wellies (which were selling like hot cakes), surf gear, kites, headstones for graves (!) etc etc. I think there must have been about 500 stands there. There were also fairground rides including a big wheel and lots of bouncy castle type things.

In terms of entertainment I think there were about 4 or 5 rings. There were the usual live stock competitions and horse show activities including show jumping. There were people showing you how to cast properly for course and fly fishing and how to get your gun dog to pick up. There was pig racing and ferret racing (did see this before, not this time and it is great fun, just love ferrets but they can be smelly and have nice sharp teeth), missed the pig racing by 5 minutes (that's the problem with being on a stand you have to get back to work!. - the picture is of the ferret racing enclosure) There was someone with owls too and a falconry display. There was a dog show too.

I haven't been to the big county shows; I was supposed to go to the Royal Cornwall back in June but couldn't make it; and have only otherwise been to the smaller shows, Holsworthy and Woolsery, but I did enjoy the North Devon, it was big but not too big and probably enough to keep you entertained for the day. Initially I thought the price of entry was a bit steep but in fact comparing this to the other smaller shows I think you got good value for money at the North Devon. The only downside was the MUD!

As the day wore on the mud did start to dry up towards the lower part of the ground (in all it is about 50 odd acres on a slight south facing slope (the main tents are placed on the top of the hill and on the north side you have a fabulous view out over Clovelly and the Bristol Channel to Lundy. To the south there were great views of Dartmoor, it would be a lovely place for a house if a bit exposed. The mud at the top of the hill by the main tents did not dry up and they were still having to tow vehicles out at the end of the day, including some huge 52 seater coaches, even the tractors had fun with them.

I mentioned earlier that stands selling wellies did a roaring trade. I suppose we would think it is obvious to wear wellies to an agricultural show, especially after weeks of rain but maybe some people just don't realise and maybe the visitors to the area who hadn't been to a show and didn't know what to expect, but there were people turning up in flip flops, crocs, sandals, trainers and even one or two ladies in high heeled boots! Some people just gave up and walked around in bare feet and some went and invested in wellies. The weather looks good for the next week, but I will be taking my wellies with me to the Okehampton show just in case. Something else I would recommend when you go to a show is to buy a programme, there are lots of events but without a show guide you might miss something you would like to see. We didn't get one and I wish we had, I might not have missed the pig racing if I had had one.

We had a fairly busy day, for our type of stand we didn't expect to actually make a sale at the show but we did have quite a lot of interest and apparently some calls yesterday to place orders from people who had visited us at the show. It was hard work and really took 3 days out of the week to do it (possibly more with preparing flyers etc) and time will tell, but we think it was worth it. The boss was talking about the Royal Cornwall for next year but that is a 3 day show and very very big and will be very tiring (it is about an hour away by car and you have to get there by 8am and can't leave until about 6.30). We will see.

I would recommend anyone who can to visit an agricultural show, not only are they entertainment but they are part of our rural heritage and as we know the Royal Show which is held in the midlands each year has now closed because of a reduced amount of interest. We must keep these things going and we can do that by supporting the shows, either by exhibiting, or entering the competitions or just visiting.