All the fun of the fair was on offer at the Mil Lel Show on Saturday with hundreds of people flocking through the gate to enjoy the much-loved community event.

A crowd of more than 2500 filled the showgrounds, which were a sea of colour under overcast skies.

Mil Lel Agriculture and Horticultural Society treasurer Liza Kirby said organisers were pleased with both the number of exhibits and the numbers through the gate.

Mrs Kirby said this year’s inclusion of the new Highland cattle feature in the Beef Cattle Competition was a hit.

“The Highland cattle were very popular so they did all their showing and then kids could come in for a gold coin donation and feed each of the quiet cattle,” she said.

“There was a lot of indoor entries and a lot of people wandering through there to have a look.

“The Mil Lel steam engine club had a lot of entries and a lot of people down there looking at all their displays, they had the woodturning club there so that was also really popular.

“It was good weather actually, it was cool but that actually worked out really well because it was not too hot so people could walk around and run around and they were not getting too hot.”

Children’s activities including the inflatables, face painting, the Mount Gambier Toy Library, sand pit and board games were well received.

The men’s banana cake competition which Mrs Kirby said was “in high contention by all the adult men in the area” was won by 14-year-old Mil Lel local Evan Clark.

Mrs Kirby said this year’s event was well supported by the local community.

“We had a lot of volunteers this year helping sell tickets or stand on gates or run around cooking

barbecues or all of those sorts of things,” she said.

“The Pleasant Park Ladies did a wonderful job in the hall catering beautiful food and Mil Lel Primary School did the barbecue and the cake stall.

“I think it will probably be a similar format next year, I cannot see us changing too much.”

Showgoers were delighted with the animals supplied by Old MacDonald’s Travelling Farm animal nursery, South East Snake Awareness and Australian Bush Buddies.

The horse events were popular with 165 entries and a large audience for the inaugural Fashions on the Field in both the junior and senior categories, sponsored by the Creaser family.

The show jumping was part of a circuit this year in combination with the Millicent and Kingston shows.

The horses finished up on the Sunday with a relaxed day of the Hunts and Hurdles and the Australian Ponies Stud Book run by the Penola Hunt Club.