A petting tent was one of the new attractions at the 71st Mt Benger A&P Show on Saturday and it proved a real highlight, show president Dick Michelle said.
''There were some orphaned piglets, pups, rabbits, chickens, a couple of hand-reared calves and a miniature horse. And it was a real hit, especially with the kids. Some of them have never got that close to animals before.''
The show was a big success, with attendance at a similar level to other years, despite the ''competition'' from other events on Saturday, Mr Michelle said.
The Otago Southland regional final of the ANZ Young Farmer Contest was held in Alexandra that day and the Otago Goldfields cavalcade finished in Ranfurly, coinciding with the Maniototo's annual Art Deco festival. An equestrian event was also being staged in Gore.
''We don't keep an official record of attendance at the show but you can gauge it pretty well by the number of vehicles parked at the showgrounds, and there seemed to be just as many people as in other years.''
A ladies' tent - the brainchild of hairdresser Holly Pemberton - was another new feature at this year's show.
''It was also popular and everyone was happy with how that went, so it'll be back next year,'' Mr Michelle said.
The tent included stalls and a recreation corner for children with face painting and other activities. Livestock entries were on par with other years, except in the equestrian events, where numbers dropped slightly because of the equestrian event being held in Gore that day.
