There will be fun for the whole family on Saturday with the Mil Lel Show back bigger and better than ever.
There is plenty to be excited about for all horse riders this year from the serious to the fun competitors with a range of options including the ever-popular Topsy Ring which will include plenty of prizes, thanks to generous sponsors.
Exciting new inclusions are the Classical Fashions on the Field and more classes in the Encourage Ring and the Lead/Riden Breed Ring.
The show jumping will be part of a circuit this year in combination with Millicent and Kingston.
Mil Lel Agriculture and Horticultural Society treasurer Liza Kirby said there will be vintage steam engines and farm machinery on display by the Mil Lel Steam and Machinery Association Inc.
“They have been doing an amazing job, their area looks really immaculate, it looks wonderful,” she said.
“The theme for them this year is wood, they have got a working saw coming and some wood cutting equipment.
“They have a woodturning group from Mount Gambier who are coming out to show off their skills and wares.
“They have got approximately 60 individual items to show in the sort of tractors, steam engines, equipment, machinery and stuff like that so they’ll have lots of different things with people coming from as far away as Warrnambool.”
Mrs Kirby said she hoped this year’s show would be well supported by the community.
“We have been really well supported by the local community, the volunteers that are volunteering to help us on the day going to various things so I think it should be a really good year,” she said.
“Our gate (last year) was nearly one of the highest we have had. I think based on the affordability of the Mil Lel Show and what it has to offer, I am hoping it will still be very well supported.
“Our gate is not very expensive to enter, we have got lots of great things for kids and families to do and watch that are not expensive.”
Children can be involved in a range of affordable and free events such as the billy cart and front gate sign competitions, running races and children’s pet parade.
There will be plenty of animals to see and hold with Old MacDonald’s Travelling Farms animal nursery, South East Snake Awareness and Australian Bush Buddies.
Mrs Kirby said they are looking forward to inclusion of the new Highland cattle feature in the Beef Cattle Competition.
“We’ll have our normal cattle classes but we have also got a Highland cattle feature which they’re expecting cattle from all over South Australia and from Victoria to come along,” she said.
“They’ll have about eight different classes of cattle to be judged on the day as well.
“Everyone loves looking at the Highland cattle, they’re all so cute so that’s really exciting to have that coming to the Mil Lel Show.
“The grounds have all just been resigned by one of the parks committee members so we are really lucky there so it’s just looking beautiful and green at the moment.”
There will also be K9’s by Kaz dog agility course, the ag bike challenge, CFS, Flying Flamingos, inflatables, an activity centre and go carts.
Show-goers will be entertained with performances by the highland dancers, Mount Gambier City Band, Skyline Haze and Gabriel Strachan.
There will be a range of trade stalls including large sites by Heywood Ag Sales and Service, Traction Ag and Water Dynamics that will breathe an agricultural focus into the event.
Indoor competition entries have closed with Mil Lel hosting a rich cake and genoa cake competition in conjunction with Kingston allowing winners to enter the state finals at the Royal Adelaide Show.
This year the popular men’s cake competition will go ahead but with a banana cake that can be iced but must be made using their own recipe.
