County Show ready to roll

With just hours to go before the Kildare County Show opens to the public on Sunday 21 June 2009 at 10.00, transformation of the Showgrounds is almost complete.

Exhibitors are setting out their stalls, ponies are getting into their stride, vintage tractors are moving into place and the gruesome exhibit of two cars - absolutely smashed and tangled up together -are ready to illustrate the road safety demonstrations that will take place tomorrow.

In a similar vein, the fire brigade are getting ready to demonstrate how to deal with chip-pan fires, one of the most common household hazards. The snakes and tarantula will not arrive until the morning but there will be demonstrations on how to feed and look after them during the day.

Ladies, get the glad rags out. It is going to be a lovely day and there is a prize for the best dressed lady at the Show.

Best of all, the entry fee is half what it was last year – only €5 and children are free.

The gates open at 10.00, giving the early bird time to get some excellent coffee and perhaps strawberries and cream before getting a good spot to watch the very fine riders from the Mounted Games Association of Ireland compete in the Pairs Competition at 11.00.

If this is not to your taste, you could attend an acupuncture demonstration instead at 11.00 in the Health Marquee.

The matchmaker is due to arrive at 12.00 and is eagerly awaited by the many volunteers prepared to sign up (purely in the interests of the Show of course) and see what he can come up with in the way of finding a partner.

Not all the events that are part of the Kildare County Show take place in the Showgrounds. One really fine initiative will begin in Athy Town Square where the Tidy Towns Committee will set about doing a special cleanup of the town in honour of the Show.

But the really serious business begins in the afternoon when the procession takes off from Minch’s at the Kilkenny end of the town with a garda escort and makes its way to the Showgrounds to arrive at 14.00. Leading the charge will be a mustang followed by at least 50 big motorbikes – mostly Harley-Davidsons.

At the same time the Dog Show begins.

From then on there is no let up. There is something for every taste and every age group (including ice cream).

For a full timetable go the the website.