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The Herald, August 2, 1979 

MAZOWE Valley and Districts Show gets has a new look to it this year. It is more than an agricultural show, it is an opportunity for everyone to relax, let their hair down and have fun.

The chairman of the show committee, Mr Barry Nicolle and his wife, Norma, are largely responsible for this.

Mr Nicolle said: “We have a lot more entertainment than usual to get the community together because it has been quite a knock with the security situation.”

Show weekend is the culmination of the festivities, which started with gymkhana and paper chase over Rhodes and Founders, followed by a Western evening last Saturday.

The band Quicksilver and singing team the Nield Sisters provided the music and local girl Robyn Singleton was chosen Miss Mazowe Valley.

Mr Nicolle said: “We decided to have the Western evening in place of the show ball to put people into the show spirit. It was not formal and people prefer not having to dress up.”

At the show proper this weekend there will be something for everyone and the very youngest members of the community are not forgotten.

On Saturday there will be a baby show, with classes for babies from birth up to two-year-olds. The winner will receive the Claverhill trophy. For the slightly older there is a new competition, the Miss Darling for girls up to 10.

For the adventurous, there is the ever-popular steer-riding competition.  The winner will receive the Ian Ferreira Floating Trophy – the first time this trophy has been presented.

There will be pony rides, ice-cream and chip-eating contests, a pet show, a make and model competition and a fashion show.

The catch-a-greasy-pig competition has been cancelled but there will still be plenty of excitement with the tug-of-war, the pellet gun target shoots, a practical arms demonstration and skill-at-arms in the arena.

For those with gentler tastes there will be an exhibition of Zimbabwe-Rhodesia paintings by local artist Lilian Cottrill.

A different kind of art will present itself in the wire toy model competition sponsored by a fencing company.

 LESSONS FOR TODAY

• Agricultural shows are a very good way for businesses to market their products and services, and, to reach-out to existing and potential clients. They are equally an opportunity for people to have fun and unwind.
• The Zimbabwe Agricultural Show, which is held at the Exhibition Park is the largest agricultural show in the country and this year it is likely to be open after the Government relaxed most of the Covid-19 restrictions that had affected the last two editions of the annual showcase.
• In big events like agricultural shows, it is essential for the organisers to make the event as diverse as possible so that it caters for different tastes and expectations of the show goers.
• Agricultural shows just like other annual showcases such as the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair are an opportunity for the country to market itself and show the best that it has to the outside world. This calls for exhibitors to put their best foot forward to impress visitors to their stands.