Three young girls were a hit at the North Otago Agricultural and Pastoral Association this year, as was the event, with crowds exceeding expectations for the Friday night carnival and show day on Saturday.
Takings for the carnival were almost double last year's, and on Saturday the crowd was so big the car park was full by about 10.30am.
New show secretary Katrina Kelly was ''stoked at the response'' for both events.
''Takings have exceeded our expectations.''
That was echoed by president Matthew Miller.
Lions Club members manning the gates calculated the crowd on Saturday was one of the biggest for some years, if not quite reaching the number for the 150th show in 2012.
Show day on Saturday was a big occasion for Oamaru girls Nichole Bautista, Destiny Jabagat and Leyanne Monoy, who collected their $350 prize money for winning the Oamaru's Got X Factor contest at the carnival.
They only decided to enter on the Monday before the show, had one rehearsal on Wednesday and stepped out on the stage on Friday night to beat about 20 other contestants.
They sang Taylor Swift's Blank Space combined with a dance routine.
''I didn't think we would get anywhere, certainly not win,'' Destiny said.
The only other time they had performed was at the Filipino community Christmas party last December.
A big drawcard for the show which helped boost the crowd, according to Mr Miller, was the Aorangi Young Farmer of the Year regional final. It was won by Matthew Bell, from the Hinds club.
North Otago hosts the contest every three years. The practical modules and the eight contestants attracted a good following, including for the grand finale in the ring.
Alongside that were Teen Ag and AgKids competitions which drew good entries spread from South Canterbury to Dunedin.
Mr Miller also praised the businesses which had booked trade space, and particularly the effort they put into their stands.
Although there were light showers early in the day, the weather stayed fine through the major part of the show, including the grand parade.
Rain started about 4pm, but was welcome to a farming community in the midst of a drought, even though only about 4mm fell.
''It was enough to lay the dust,'' Mr Miller said.
