View Full Version : Caithness County Show.
I have heard several times this week that this will be the last time that the County Show will be held at the Thurso side of the county. Has anyone got any further information on this?
No, but personally, I think that there is always a larger crowd when it is in Wick.
But I thought the fact that they changed it to a Saturday, had helped.
I heard that rumor years ago still nothing happened probably just another one .
Sounds like a good idea to me. The show ground in Wick is much better laid out and as said before Wick always seems to draw a much larger crowd. It's nice to walk around the stalls and pitches at the top and still be able to see what's going on down below.
Being a country girl at heart but having no real preferences between Wick and Thurso I still feel that Wick has definitely got the best location for the County Show. If you look back at crowd attendances over the past few years I would bet that Wick has always gotten the better attendance numbers.
Bingobabe
14-Jul-06, 23:33
Anyone know what the programme for tommorow is i did not buy the paper eday and would like to know when certain things start!!!!
I went up a look tonight and in my opinion it's the poorest show I've seen so far unless more stands arrive tomorrow. By the look of the stock pens I think the stock entries are down too.
lagertops
15-Jul-06, 21:02
The shows lost it's appeal i.m.o,could do with a big attraction as a main event,also what happend to the good old show dance?used to be a crackin
night,even on a Wednesday.
Just want to say congratulations to our Jambo for a brilliant result in the rabbit show today, well done to you for great preparation and well done to bunnies for being stars!!!!!!!
I went up a look tonight and in my opinion it's the poorest show I've seen so far unless more stands arrive tomorrow. By the look of the stock pens I think the stock entries are down too.
I was thinking along the same lines this afternoon until someone pointed out that the animals were being taken home for welfare reasons due to the heat. I was there all day and have to say we had a great day for it. My only gripe was that there was no food tent for the public. I really wanted a while out of the sun and standing in a burger queue didn't help.
highlander
15-Jul-06, 22:46
I was looking forward to the show today, especially when i got up this morning, and it was brill sunshine, but i might have saved myself time and money and gone to the beach instead, i thought it was a poor show, yes it was lovely to go around and see all the animals, but where was all the stalls? But at least i managed to get fresh strawberrys and raspberrys at sutherlands stall, yea canna beat them.
It alway seems a poor show when it's held in thurso maybe they should hold it in wick from now on .
willowbankbear
15-Jul-06, 23:10
Surely ye are 2 mean to spend the petrol money again Ice Box?[lol]
I dont go to the County Show whether its in Wick or Thurso anymore . You would need something special to get me to go to that. sorry guys but Id rather watch paint than sheep coos & tractors
I was at the county show too and i had a good day out. But i did notice aswell that there wasn't very many stalls there as there is in wick. Also the queues for the food vans and ice cream van were very very very very very long. I couldn't believe there was only ONE ice cream van there on a day like it was today but it was worth the wait. I also got a nice tan!! hehe
I was working on a local Charity Stall and the attendance appeared to be down compared to Wick. Also the number of stalls were fewer than normal (one or two of those looked as if they should have been removed, real cheap & nasty) only one Ice-cream Van - what a queue, but it was worth the wait. At least there were no queues for the Loos.
Thanks for that Unicorn.
It was a lovely day, but in all honesty, it was for too hot for all those poor animals, especially those stuck in tents.
The show was not as good as it is in Wick, and yes the number of stalls there were far fewer than the last year. But there was quite a lot of people there. Not sure if it was as many as usual or not.
Never mind, we had a great day, and so did lots of other people.
I think everyone agrees it a much better show in Wick but I think perhaps people from the Thurso area might stop entering if it's in Wick every year. I know myself when it's in Scrabster I dither about going. However I was at the show and had a good day.
yes crofter u will be buying the pies tommorow with all ur winnings.
Naefearjustbeer
16-Jul-06, 14:06
It was a nice day for a walk outside but I do not think it justifies the cost to get in. £6 + £3 for the car, what a rip off, Especially when you see the prices for everything once you are inside. I dont think I will be going again. The side shows for the bairns were not very good and at £2 a pop were a complete rip off. Considering the weather you would of expected record crowds, It didnt look that busy to me.
baggie boy
16-Jul-06, 14:07
im afraid the appeal has gone out of the county show. the show commitee members should try to come up with other attractions that suit everyone because not every one is interested in cows, sheep, horse jumping and tractors. i dont think that wick should have the show every year just because of one supposedly bad year in thurso, the wick grounds are better but you get on with the facilities you have.
I missed the show this year and looking at the photos it looks like there wasnt many there. Perhaps the photos were taken earlier before the masses arrived. Wick is by far the best site for the show.
yes crofter u will be buying the pies tommorow with all ur winnings.
That's rich coming from you Jambo!!!! You had plenty winnings yourself and you won't have had time to spend it yet as I believe the band had a booking at night. Even more £. The pies are on you I'm afraid!!!
Axe Grinder
17-Jul-06, 02:48
There is very little chance of the CAITHNESS COUNTY SHOW being better attended or improved until the people who actually live in this county start pulling in the same direction. The historic WICK v THURSO conflict has resulted in the show being poorly supported on both sides of the county. This has not been helped in recent times by the fact that the county does not even exist as far as the tourist board and council are concerned and many local companies also do not bother to include the word CAITHNESS in their business addresses. It would appear that they all regard this as an insignificant area within HIGHLAND and CAITHNESS is not even named on many maps of northern Scotland.
Don't therefore attempt to put the blame on the 'SHOW COMMITTEE'. They will be able to diversify and provide additional attractions once the gate receipts provide sufficient funds to enable this. The same applies to all other recreational and sporting facilities in the county. Surely most people with a brain will have realised by now that if you continue to argue about whether something should be located in WICK or THURSO you are most likely to end up with nothing at all.
I also thought it was a very poor show considering the lovely weather. There did not appear to be very much of a crowd. It also looked like the stock numbers was well down on last year and the entertainment in the ring was almost non existant. Although I do not live on the Wick side of the county I would be in favour of having the show in Wick every year as the tunout always appears to be better. Either that or have the show somewhere more central. ie Halkirk,Watten, Bower etc.
baggie boy
17-Jul-06, 12:38
I am sorry if my mail sounded like I was blaming the committee cause I certainly was not. I said if they could come up with something different more people may go. I agree that the puplic are responsible and the poor attendance makes a poor show. I still think you are taking the history out of the show if it was to settle in one place every year.
Maybe the lowering of entrance costs would help the black isle show is more expensive maybe but far better value for your entry fee.
They tried having the county show in Halkirk in the 80's with i think the idea of centralising it but it did not work out. If people are not happy with the show what would you like the show committee to have at it that would make it better.
make it more affordable it's simple. If you have 2 adults and 3 kids and a car it's a pricey day out just to get into the park.
I too went to the show and had a lovely day but the kids were a bit fed up cos all they wanted to do was go on the side shows and after a couple of goes I said no cos they were pricey - one go on the bumpy slide in a sack for £1.50 - and i`ve got 3 kids so it could have got very expensive, on the whole though I enjoyed it
Not the biggest fan of the county show. Its an expensive day out by the time you pay your entrance fee and your food and the shows. the kids get bored then i get cranky so its home time for me.
Helps if your keen on farming sort of stuff. me i like the beer tent.
while I actually agree that the site in Wick is a better layout for the county show, what really annoys me is the amount of Wick people who when asked if they were going to the show replied, "what's the point it's in Thurso" or " the show's always rubbish (polite version) in Thurso" and its the same with the gala's - you go to the Wick gala and meet half of Thurso, go to the Thurso gala and you'll meet Thurso folk! I think it would be a real shame if they do stop having the show in Thurso - it's the attitude thats wrong not the ground! As for the committee finding some better attractions - it is an agricultural show - what do people expect! The show ground was busy - I was there all day on a stall and I can tell you there was a lot of people! the ground is bigger and more spread out so you don't get the crowds - Incidentally I would also have said there were more stalls than in Wick last year but again they were spread out - as a matter of interest at one point the temperature in the shade reached 31.5 degrees!
Well it was an expensive day for me. Entry for me and two kids, £1.50 for fanta, £4.00 for a lolly lots of uncountable money for side shows and everything else and then someone went off with my sons brand new trainers when he was on the bouncy castle!!
I must agree with everyone, that it is extremely expensive. I wouldn't have minded the entry fees, if the food and drinks were not so highly priced. It cost £1 for a can of juice and £1.50 for a 500ml bottle. This was a total rip off and on such a hot day you had to drink a lot.
I also think that if things were made more affordable, then they would get larger crowds.
I don't grudge the entry fees as it must cost a lot of money to organise and run the show. I also think that the show commitee do a good job. However, like everyone else I think that the prices charged for food and drinks and the side shows are a total rip off. To the best of my knowledge none of these rip off merchants are local which of course means that none of the money even stays in the county. Are there no local traders interested in providing food and drinks or do they not get the opportunity to do so?
im not surprised that it wasnt locals there with ice cream vans etc as it was going to cost them three hundred pound each to trade there just for one day.
I think it needs to be pointed out that it is up to each business themselves how much they charge for food, drinks and shots on the sideshows. The show committee have no say on how much these things should be, I'm sure even less people would come if these things weren't there.
goldenguernsey
19-Jul-06, 02:58
We were very sad not to make it to the show. We would love to have exhibited our goats but were commited elsewhere, doing the secretarial bit for the Dingwall show (Highland goat club) at Dingwall auction mart.
It was a tough decision but at the end of the day we couldn't let the Highland club down. If that show folds (at Dingwall) then we will struggle to have a Highland (goat) show in the Highlands at all, everything like always will move south and that would be sad. We feel that we must try to retain as much as possible for the highlands of Scotland so that this area does not go un-noticed or get by passed for venues further south.
Dingwall auction mart was a superb venue with more than adequate facilities and we will certainly do our best to increase entries for next year.
I had not realised that the traders had to pay £300.00 for the day. That would go some way to explaining why the cost of food and drink is so high.
caithnessgirl
19-Jul-06, 12:38
Why are folk complaining about "sheep. horse jumping, coos and tractors" when, at the end of the day, it is the Caithness AGRICULTURAL show!?
Carlo Gambino
20-Jul-06, 00:17
Not the biggest fan of the county show. Its an expensive day out by the time you pay your entrance fee and your food and the shows. the kids get bored then i get cranky so its home time for me.
Helps if your keen on farming sort of stuff. me i like the beer tent.
Nice 1, theres a lot more than you that think like that
I understand the numbers of visitors to the Caithness County Show this year was an all-time RECORD!
I agree with Jay as regards the size of the site making the crowds and stalls seem fewer by virtue of them being more spread out.
Possibly more non-agriculture related visitors usually attend the Wick shows as it is so easy accessible; just a wee walk from the car park and the main street whereas in Thurso it means a long walk, a taxi ride or, as seen this year, a bus ride away. Just that small difference in accessability makes all the difference. This year, the weather certainly helped and a lot of people now go to see the exhibits on the previous night when it is quieter and you can have a look at them in peace.
It takes a lot of organising to take part in the shows and the firms who attend with all their equipment, staff etc., don't always get the sales to justify their taking a whole day away from their own place of business, allbeit they up their profile.
Different people look for vastly differing entertainment on the day; many of the farmers and their families enjoy meeting like minded people, some of whom they haven't seen since the last show! Others with young families are looking for food treats and sideshows and the chance to have a look at animals they don't have much access to during the rest of the year.
Perhaps rather than criticism of the show, some constructive ideas on how to improve the show would be more beneficial? What people would like to see at the show, ie main ring attraction etc. Would introduction of family ticket at reduced rate purchased before the show be any good to those finding the cost restrictive?
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