This year’s Fife Show has a very special anniversary. On Saturday 21st May, exhibitors and visitors will gather at Kinloss – just north of the town – to celebrate 200 years of Agricultural Shows held in Cupar. We caught up with show organiser, Elaine Miller, and president, Andrew Stevenson, to record a podcast helping to tell the story of this unique event – and this Blog digs a little deeper into the history behind the show …

A snapshot of the 2022 show …

We shot this video on the day and shared via our Facebook and Instagram channels, helping to generate more than 3,000 views. Thanks to Cupar & District Pipe Band for the backing track. We filmed one of their performances and then extracted the audio to provide the musical accompaniment to our short video.

 

1821 and all that …

In 1821, those organising the show stated that the purpose was for the “breeding of horses, cattle and sheep“. Two centuries on, there will be a whole host of farming and agricultural attractions to be in keeping with the origins of the show … plus 150 trade stands as well as an array of food & drink on offer to keep you going! The show promises “a full day of activities” with “something for all members of the family“.

The 2022 Show is organised and delivered by the Fife Agricultural Association. There are 27 volunteer Committee members who work hard throughout the year, planning and trying to find new things that will be of interest to members of the public as well as the farming community.  In addition, the Show has around 200 volunteers involved each year – this could be with setting up the showfield, loaning equipment, helping on show day … whether stewarding in livestock or horse classes, helping give out trophies, answering queries from members of the public, working at the gates selling, scanning tickets and catalogues or manning one of the stands run by community organisations. This small army of volunteers are essential to the show’s success: without them, the show would not run!

The show’s origins …

The Association today is an amalgamation of various agricultural bodies – the East of Fife Show was mainly held in Colinsburgh with occasional moves to Elie. The Cupar & North of Fife Ag Association had different venues around Cupar including the Jail Park, Wetlands (Westlands), Dalgairn Park,  Middlefield House and Tarvit House. The Cart Haugh was seldom used as it was too small. Windygates Show also moved around through the years, occasionally being held at Kirkcaldy.

In the early 1900s, after the Cupar & North of Fife and Windygates Associations merged with the Fife Agricultural Society, show venues included Kirkcaldy, Ladybank, Markinch, Thornton and Cupar – Tarvit Park was still regularly used. The East of Fife still held their shows mainly at Colinsburgh.

In 1955 when the East of Fife finally agreed to merge with the Fife Agricultural Society to become the current Association, the agreement was that the Show would be held alternately in Colinsburgh/Elie and the Cupar/North of Fife area … with new venues being used – Dairsie Mains, Over Rankeillour, Kincaple, Lower Luthrie, Springfield, Stratheden Hospital and Elmwood College.

By the late 1970s, the Show was regularly being held a Balcormo Mains although it had to move very quickly in 1983 to Shiells Farm, Ladybank, as the ground at Balcormo was almost under water! A few years later, the Show changed from a Thursday to a Saturday. In 2004 the Show moved to Kinloss where it has been ever since.

This year’s show …

After two years of Covid restrictions and virtually no events, it is great that organisations are getting back out and meeting people! The Show is a meeting place for our local farming community, as well as their shop window in terms of stock.

This year’s event has a Time Tunnel displaying the Show’s history alongside that of farming in Fife. There will be displays of small farming equipment, spinning and stick-making. The Main Ring Parade of “farming through the ages” will show how things were done 200 years ago and the changes between then and now. A big screen will show a video throughout the day … you might just see some weel kent faces!

You will be able to see demonstrations of sheep shearing and harness decoration as well as horse shoeing. There is a Kids Countryside Tent with ‘Cool Creatures’ and story telling. There is also a Game Fair, Cookery Theatre with demos – and the Young Farmers –are running a ‘guess the weight’ of the bullock competition as well as recreating competitions from yesteryear. In the late afternoon, you’ll also be able to join in an Orcadian ‘strip the willow’.

Getting here …

• Buy your tickets now via this link – £15.00 each.
  • Tickets for those aged Under 14yrs are free BUT a ticket must be claimed for each young person when you purchase your adult ticket(s).
• Tickets will be available to buy on Show Day at the Gate – £20 each (Under 14s free).
• Purchase a Catalogue in advance, including a Commemorative Bi-Centenary Booklet, and collect on admission to the Show.
• Parking on the Showfield is free of charge.

Need more? Please check the Fife Show website for the full programme of events.

Listen up …

Click below to listen to our podcast …

 

Thanks for reading!