The Cowra Show Society is preparing for another big year, with President Trish Gundersen reflecting on the success of last year’s event and sharing plans for 2025.

Set to be in the later months of the year, the Cowra Spring Show will be on Friday 17 and Saturday 18 of October.

Community focus, affordability, and inclusiveness remain the driving forces behind the show, which continues to grow in size and variety.

Looking back on the 2024 event, Ms Gundersen highlighted that the priority was making the show accessible to all.

“I think the main thing was we really wanted to present a community-focused show, and I think we did that,” Ms Gundersen said.

“There was something there for everybody with no additional out-of-pocket expenses.”

“That’s our main goal again, to replicate that for 2025,” she said.

Last year’s show wasn’t without its difficulties, with extreme weather forcing organisers to adjust quickly.

“Absolutely, last year the washout on the Friday night, that storm that came through,” she said.

“We had to think really quickly on our feet, but we were able to change it, and with the help of all our volunteers, presented a really full day on the Saturday,” Ms Gundersen said.

She praised the volunteers who stepped up to make sure the event went ahead as planned.

Their effort, she highlighted, showed the strength of community involvement.

Community feedback also played a large role in shaping the 2025 show.

“I think people have told us what they liked and what might not have worked so well,” she said.

“Obviously, some things are out of our control, but we do take everyone’s feedback, and we’re really growing that community involvement, family-friendly and affordable theme,” Ms Gundersen said.

Planning for the new event began as soon as last year’s show wrapped up, with organisers now fine-tuning the details.

“We kind of start planning as soon as the previous show’s finished,” Ms Gundersen said.

“These next couple of months, we’re just finessing the finer details, getting it all sorted.”

“It’s been going really well,” she said.

Several attractions will be bigger and better this year.

“We had our first dairy cattle show last year,” Ms Gundersen said.

“That’s grown rapidly in numbers, so that will be another huge attraction with schools and local exhibitors bringing their dairy cattle in.”

“We are growing the demolition derby, hoping to have many more entrants in that as well.”

“We’re hoping to keep on our community entertainment stage.”

“We’re just currently growing things that we put in place last year,” she said.

The expansion of these events reflects the popularity of last year’s show and the appetite from both visitors and community members for more variety.

For Ms Gundersen, the true purpose of the Cowra Show goes beyond rides and attractions.

“The main reason for the show is to highlight what our community can do, and by community that doesn’t just mean the agricultural sector,” Ms Gundersen said.

“It’s highlighting schools and independent people’s achievements.”

“If people can walk away and learn one little area about our community that they weren’t so familiar with, I feel like we’ve done our job,” she said.

This focus on education, recognition, and inclusiveness is what sets the Cowra Show apart as a genuine community celebration.

Ms Gundersen encouraged locals to stay up to date with announcements in the lead-up to the show.

“Keep your eyes on our Facebook page, we’ll really start ramping up what you can expect at the show,” Ms Gundersen said.

“Jump on our socials and have a look, and keep your eyes out for advertising.”

“You’ll see lots more coming soon,” she said.