MEDIA RELEASE
Thursday 13 November 2014
For immediate release

Fine weather for Show Day

Fine weather is expected for the final day of the Canterbury A&P Show on Friday 14 November when over 60,000 people are expected to attend. Canterbury Anniversary Day is known throughout the region as people’s day at the Show. The official holiday for the anniversary day of the province was shifted from 16 December (the date of the arrival of the First Four Ships) to the Friday of the Show back in the 1950’s. The change meant a holiday for banks and businesses giving people from both town and country the opportunity to attend the Canterbury A&P Show.
Highlights for Friday at the Show includes:

Judging Highlights
8.30-11.25am Showjumping – Main Arena
9.30-9.45am Supreme Champion Pony – COUNTRY TV Isaac 1 Arena
10.30am The Lady Isaac Scholarship (Cattle & Sheep) – Alliance NZ Sheep Arena & The ANZ Lawn
11.00-11.25am Supreme Champion Horse – Main Arena
12.30pm Heartland Bank Young Auctioneers Competition – The ANZ Lawn
Approx. 3.30pm NZ Corriedale Blade & Machine Final – Shearing Pavilion

Entertainment Highlights
11.25am Lolly Scramble – Main Arena
12pm and 2pm Salmonella Dub – Village Green
2.55pm Lolly Scramble – Main Arena
3.15pm Shetland Grand National – Main Arena
3.25pm Supreme Champion Animal of Show – Main Arena
3.40pm Ballantynes Grand Parade led by the Canterbury Caledonian Pipe Band – Main Arena

Entertainment on the Village Green
Don’t miss multi-platinum and gold selling artists Salmonella Dub on the Village Green at 12 and 2pm. Country music star and Christchurch boys Nomad will be playing throughout the day too.

Heartland Bank Young Auctioneers Competition
The Canterbury A&P Association is hosting the second year of the Heartland Bank Young Auctioneers Competition. The competition aims to showcase and develop young auctioneers and improve the standard of auctioneering across the board. During the judging, which includes a test of auction rules and a mock auction, each entrant will be required to sell two lots of heifers/bulls. Entrants will be judged on overall performance including voice, diction, manner and values. Prior to the prize giving, the winner will auction off a 2 year old bull kindly donated by exhibitors Garry Carter and George Climo with all proceeds going towards the development of the Youth Competitions at the Canterbury A&P Show.

Blackwells Buried Treasure
Watch as 12 lucky people dig in a sandpit in a desperate bid to find the correct keys to a brand new Holden Trax LTZ. The dig will take place at12.45pm on the Village Green and the winner will take the car away for a year thanks to Blackwells, MoreFM and The Press.

Cooking Demonstrations
The Food and Wine NZ Pavilion will play host to several cooking demonstrations by some of Canterbury’s top chefs. Mark Sycamore from Tequila Mockingbird, Simonetta Farrari from Gunyah Country Estate and Simo from Mosaic by Simo’s will be cooking up a storm in the Electrolux Kitchen. Mark McCracken will also be showing the crowds how to cook with boer goat. Audience members will have an opportunity to taste the prepared meals.

Tui BaaBaa Bar
Catch popular band The Bubblemen throughout the day and see comedians Jarred Fell and Tim Batt at 3 and 5pm.

Woodchopping
The fast and furious action continues at the Woodchopping arena on Friday. Highlights include several championship competitions and the Les Gilsenan Memorial World Standing Championship after 12.30pm.

The Lady Diana Isaac Scholarship
Thanks to the generous support of Isaac Construction, The Lady Diana Isaac Scholarship enables the top placed New Zealand competitor to travel to Australia to compete at the Sydney Royal Easter Show in the New South Wales Junior Judging Competition. The competition is held over the sheep, beef and dairy cattle sections at the 2014 Canterbury A&P Show.

Showjumping
This year’s showjumping programme includes some highlight events on Friday morning. The Horse Speed Championship (approx. 9.30am) is a great showjumping event that is easy for the general public to follow. Riders and their horses tackle the course, racing against the clock with time penalties incurred for knocking over rails. With most riders expected to clear the course in 60 seconds, spectators will be on the edge of their seats as they follow the time clock. The Ballantynes Grand Prix follows this event (approx. 10.30am) and includes top placed New Zealand riders and horses.

Shetland Grand National
A highlight of the racing calendar, this long standing event sees eight ponies and jockeys taking to the field, steeplechase style. The event has built a strong following in Canterbury and has grown to be one of the main attractions at the Show. Stormy, winner of four Shetland Grand Nationals, is tipped as race favourite.

Supreme Champion Animal of Show
The Award is the culmination of three days of judging with the best of the best Supreme Champion entrants from horse, sheep, cattle, alpaca, llama, donkey/mule and goat battling it out for the top title.

Ballantynes Grand Parade
The Ballantynes Grand Parade is a showcase of the best of the best with prize winners across most livestock and equestrian sections parading their ribbons in the Main Arena, led by the Canterbury Caledonian Royal Stewart and Balmoral Pipe Bands.

-ENDS-

© Scoop Media