Gort is gearing up for its 36th annual agricultural show which will take place on Sunday August 12.
With 230 competitive classes in crafts, home produce, gardening, flowers, children’s sections, horses, ponies, dogs, poultry, pets, and a photography competition, there is something for everyone.
The Gort show continues to grow, and is the only one to have an All-Ireland photography final, which is sponsored by Gort & District Lion’s Club with prizes amounting to €500 and the winner receiving the St Francis Trophies Perpetual Cup. And, following its success last year, the Gort ICA is sponsoring the novelty tea cosy class again, which is already stirring interest.
Indoor exhibits
All indoor exhibits, which must be handmade/produced by the exhibitor, will be on display in the Community Centre, while there will be a special draw for exhibitors who bring their exhibits on the Friday evening.
The horse, pony and donkey sections will take place at Lavally, Loughrea Road, with entries taken from 11.30am on the morning of the show, while the pets' corner and art sections will take place just outside the community centre.
The poultry section will be housed in the special marquee, while the increasingly popular dog section, which now has 26 classes, will take place on the community school grounds.
One of the show's highlight is the bonnie baby competition which starts at 2pm, while strong competition is expected for the most appropriately dressed lady and gent, sponsored by Pat Smth, Ladies & Gents Outfitters, Gort.
Crowd pleaser
And, with an abundance of homemade and handcrafted items for sale, and raffle tickets with some superb prizes donated by local businesses, this year's Gort show is expected to be another crowd pleaser.
Entries will be accepted at the show entries office, which is in the ICA Hall, Boland’s Lane on August 2, 3 and 4 between 12 noon and 4.30pm. The full schedule of classes and entry forms will be available in the office on these days but can also be viewed and downloaded from the national website: www.irishshows.org/gort Entries will not be accepted after 5pm on Friday August 4.
