In contrast to unfavourable weather reports, the sun shone overhead of Taree Showground for the first day of the 2019 Taree Show.
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The day was all about the juniors, with the pony club fun day, junior heifer show, fruit, vegetable and grain judging, twilight dressage and junior sheep meat judging among the highlights.
Taree Show stalwart Allan Richards said the day bodes well for the future of the show.
"It's always great at Taree Show for the juniors because this is where our future lies," Allan said.
Chatham High School and Taree High School students were proud to show off their cattle.
Chatham High School agriculture teacher Sam Dees said the school brought 45 head of cattle to the show.
"We've got plenty of high school kids competing for this year's awards," she said.
"Come on down and support us, it's a great weekend and we've got plenty of cattle on show for you to come and look at."
In the agriculture building, judge Ray McDonald was hard at work to hand out this year's top prizes.
"Taree Show always has a marvelous collection of flowers and will take most of my morning to adjudicate," Ray said.
"As well as the flower section, there is also a floral arts section, preservative, potted plants.
"It is really spectacular considering the drought we've had in this district."
Eager show-goers can head over to the showground by 8am on Saturday when the gates open.
The cattle, poultry and sheep judging competitions will once again draw a crowd while the dog show will feature 286 entries.
A 'low-key' chainsaw racing event will be held on Saturday.
The grand parade will be held at 2pm, which includes the Taree Showgirl announcement.
FMX motorbikes and Young Farmers Challenge are among the night time highlights before the fireworks display at 8.30pm.
An 'old-fashioned' axe and wedge competition will follow on Sunday morning.
The always popular demolition derby will close out the show in the afternoon.