It could be baking hot or dripping wet but that didn’t matter.

The petting pen, the produce pavilion, arts and crafts, the showgirl competition, the sharp smell of animal dung, prancing ponies, the woodchop with chips flying and strikes ringing in your ears – all these memories and so many more are well worth reliving.

And you can this Saturday, January 11, at the Pambula Agricultural and Horticultural Show.

Pambula Show is the first show on the Sapphire Coast and Monaro show calendar, hotly followed by Candelo Show on January 18.

In one action filled day, the 105-year-old show tells the story of country life from growing food and tending stock to highly competitive sporting events like show jumping and wood chopping.

Show president Russell Fitzpatrick says this year’s show is unashamedly all about the best that country shows have to offer.

“We believe a country show is about local community, a day that’s cheap for the whole family to attend, where you can spend all day experiencing what it is to be a part of this community, including what we produce and produce so well,” Mr Fitzpatrick said.

Show secretary Gail Cummins agreed.

“The Pambula Show is about getting back to basics, more towards the traditional agricultural show,” she said.

The committee and a band of hard working volunteers are working all hours between now and show day to bring it on.

And bring it on they will.

Events include horse riding, a dog high jump, side shows, carnival rides, racing car simulators and displays by mini FMX stunt riders.

Horse lovers will have plenty to watch with competition in eight rings including two hack rings, two breed rings, two show jumping rings and a funkana and novelty rings.

The mini FMX stunt riders will perform four shows throughout the day, showing off their freestyle motocross skills, the first of which will be at 10am.

At 11.30am there’s the chance to see some muscle-action as the ever-popular woodchop gets underway, going through until early afternoon.

In between there are rides and side shows plus plenty of opportunity to enjoy sandwiches, tea and scones in the Pavilion Tea Rooms or the barbecue run by the Pambula Rotary Club. 

With an accent on local produce, there will be stalls selling local coffee, oysters, chillies, Dutch pancakes and wine.

The show will be officially opened at about 12.30pm by the Pambula showgirl, Emma Hassan, along with Angela George and her father, Allan George, whose family involvement with the Pambula Show goes back to the first shows held in the 1850s,on what was then the local racecourse.

If the children are getting restless, whisk them along to the Fizzics Show, the show that makes science fun. 

Gail Cummins said that the Fizzics Show was “a real big hit last year” and so it’s been brought back for this year’s show.

And if science isn’t going to keep them occupied then there’s face painting, balloon sculpting, a farm animals patting paddock, a circus skills workshop and a sheep shearing demonstration. 

Toot the Magic Clown will be roving around the showgrounds too to bring a smile to young faces.

For the first time in many years the committee has re-introduced poultry showing which will be judged by Tabitha Bilaniwskyj-Zarins, of Candelo.

And whether you are interested in poultry showing or not there’s a presentation not to be missed when Tabitha shows how to wash a chook. If you missed Tabitha’s presentation at Oaklands in October, this is an opportunity to see Tabitha and her compliant, if not willing, chickens at bathtime. It is both delightful and hilarious.

Like any country show there are competitions to see who has the best vegetables, flowers, preserves and artworks. Ms Cummins said that there had been over 300 entries from school children already.

There’s expected to be some serious competition too when judges try to decide who has the best eggs. The judges will be looking for uniformity of shape and size, colour of yolks and quality of shell, Ms Cummins said. To add a little spice to the competition, Ms Cummins has added her own challenge of the devilled egg competition.

At about 5.30pm, the dog high jump starts and everyone is being encouraged to bring their dog along and let them show what they can do.