I've been helping a lady suggest changes to their village show schedule after offering to help her when she took on the role of show secretary. In the past I've had involvement with several local shows so I know quite a few little tricks now to try and help keep these shows alive. One of the main problems is a show committee's reluctance to change classes that have remained the same for decades, mainly because Ernie Flangeflap and Dick Knobgism used to contest that particular class in their heyday. The fact they've both been dead for 15 years and the class hasn't had any entries since doesn't seem to hit home.
And I've said it before and I'll say it again, try reducing the number of vegetables required in a dish and you will often see the number of entries on the rise. For instance, long carrots and parsnips involve a lot of effort and to get a matching set of 3 you may have to pull 7 or 8. Why not try having just a pair of matching carrots/parsnips? Now a novice trying to grow long roots for the first time may only try one drum so his chances of getting an entry in the show are increased if he/she only has to find a couple of matching specimens. And this also appeals to the more experienced grower who has several drums as he can usually pull a couple of specimens and carry on supporting his local show. If he has to find 3 then he may be tempted to not bother and save them for (dare I say it) more prestigious shows later in the season. Instead of getting 3 or 4 entries (9-12 carrots benched) you may get 7 or 8 (14-16 carrots benched) and so you've actually improved the overall spectacle.
Classes for cauliflowers (difficult to grow), pot leeks and celery may attract very few entries so do consider deleting them. People can always enter these veg in the any other veg class if they so desire. Indeed the AOV class is a good one to watch for suggestions for new classes. If you have a lot of courgette entries, or sweetcorn perhaps, then consider having a separate class for these the next season.
And if you're a small village and Johhny Goldnipples from 20 miles away enters the show each year and cleans up all the cash and trophies then have novice sections, or villager only sections with trophies for best local exhibit etc so that people aren't put off thinking they cannot compete against the big headed interlopers.
And I know one or two of you have been disappointed at my lack of response to this subject but truth is i'm still stunned.......what a f******* gooooooooal!
9 comments:
Good tips, I've recently joined my local Hort Soc committee and we need to make some changes. I too am still in awe of that goal, hopefully it will kickstart his season.
I seem to remember that you were calling him all kinds of names a short while ago funny how things change.
I would love to join the committee of our local Horticultural Show but I don't think I could stomach the smell of Lavender and stale incontinent piss.
I so agree with you post. I only had one barrel for my long carrots last year, and out of 7 boreholes, 3 carrots were forked, two matched pretty well, and two were unique. I had to make up my set of 3 using one of the 'unique' carrots. Luckily, I still won Best Root Vegetable in Show, but anywhere other than Guernsey I doubt I would have even won the class. A set of 2 would be far easier to achieve.
Nice one, Simon. I saw the 2011 schedule for my village show last night which has a class for 5 carrots. OK, so the standard won't be that high, but to a veg virgin like me, getting 5 matching carrots is going to be a serious challenge.
Go on Dan, join the committee. That smell was probably only your pint of 2% Yorkshire session shandy.
5 carrots is far too many for a village show!!
I'm organising a village show this year, the first one for this area, and have taken some of your suggestions on board! Being up the Highlands the nearest show is 25 miles away so hoping for lots of local interest. My only fear is 'Handbags at dawn' from the local WI contingent for the best victoria sponge. Any ideas where I can source the exhibitioners cards (the little ones that you fold over to hide your name)?
Gayle,
At our local shows we don't bother with those labels. Get a wad of the little sticky labels with consecutive numbers printed on them. Each exhibitor gives you his name/address etc on a firm with number of entries. Give them a run of sticky labels to cover their entries and make a note if the numbers against their name in a register.
The exhibitor just sticks one label on each of their entries.
When the judge makes his 1-2-3 look up the label number against the name in your register and job done.
That should read 'form' not 'firm'!
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