This article is from page 31 of the 2009-09-01 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 31 JPG
FOR 50 years, John Allen has been involved in some way or other with the Scariff Show. And he and others who have been involved for all those decades are delighted to see that the show will celebrate its 65th birthday this year by going from strength to strength.
86-year-old John has been presi- dent, manager and chairman, and his son Tom has been involved as secretary before his daughter-in-law, Joanne, took that task on.
John – who is now still involved in the show and is also now the long- est serving member of the National Show Society – says there are many people who got stuck in early on and are still involved.
“It’s a great show and the commit- tee and the people who support are a lot of its success. There is great involvement from people. People like John Blake, the vet – he’s been involved since day one and is still 2100 Une
One of the biggest changes John has seen recently is in having to raise sponsorship for the show. “For a long time, we didn’t have trouble getting sponsors but it was that bit harder this year.”
One of the important show sec- tions is the All-Irleand Yearling Filly Championship and the Giblin brothers of Irish Sports Netting have stepped up to the mark to sponser this section and the Irish Show As- sociation have also come on board, promising €100 for each entrant in the competition.
The Scariff Show Society will cele- brate the milestone birthday this year on Saturday, September 5. Staged every year at Fossabeg, the 65th birthday show is expected to draw record crowds and entries. There’s something for everyone at the show, with an indoor section as well as sec- tions for horse, ponies and sheep.
There will also be a Most Appro- priately Dressed Lady competition, kindly sponsored by Karena’s; a Most Appropriately Dressed Child
competition, sponsored by Bane’s Gift Shop; and a Bonny Baby com- petition, sponsored by the Dunphy Allen School of Irish Dancing. There will also be a dog show, pony and horse jumping and many trade stands and activities for young and old on the day.
And just for the fun of it, there will be bungy bull, giant slides, kids
Sumo, costume characters, laserzone, hotshots football and pony hops, novelty races and hurling penalty shoot-outs, while face and nail paint- ing and temporary tattoos will add colour to the day.
Entry forms for all the competi- tions will be available from Bane’s Gift shop, Scariff Post Office, Scar- iff Library or online at www.scariff-
Sate wacrerne
“Even if people don’t enter any of the competitions, we really hope they will come along and support the show on the day,” said Joanne Allen. “We are conscious that there are many demands made on the community throughout the year. However, the committee appreciate that the area has kindly supported us in the past
and would greatly appreciate its con- tinued involvement with the Scariff Show Society. We hope to see you all on Saturday, September 5,” she said.