Mirfield Show is an annual

agricultural show An agricultural show is a public event exhibiting the equipment, animals, sports and recreation associated with agriculture and animal husbandry. The largest comprise a livestock show (a judged event or display in which selective breeding, breed ...

held at the Huddersfield Road Showground in

Mirfield Mirfield () is a town and civil parish in Kirklees, West Yorkshire, England. Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, it is on the A644 road between Brighouse and Dewsbury. At the 2011 census it had a population of 19,563. Mirfield f ...

West Yorkshire West Yorkshire is a metropolitan and ceremonial county in the Yorkshire and Humber Region of England. It is an inland and upland county having eastward-draining valleys while taking in the moors of the Pennines. West Yorkshire came into exi ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

on the third Sunday in August. It is organised and run by the Mirfield Agricultural Society (MAS) as a

not-for-profit A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

event and regularly attracts over 6,000 visitors each year from across Yorkshire.

The Showground

The Showground is situated near Mirfield town centre - adjacent to

Crowlees Junior and Infant School Mirfield () is a town and civil parish in Kirklees, West Yorkshire, England. Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, it is on the A644 road between Brighouse and Dewsbury. At the 2011 census it had a population of 19,563. Mirfield f ...

and opposite Mirfield Memorial Park (home to Moorlands and Mirfield

cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by striki ...

clubs). The site is in area, and regularly hosts local football matches,

fair A fair (archaic: faire or fayre) is a gathering of people for a variety of entertainment or commercial activities. Fairs are typically temporary with scheduled times lasting from an afternoon to several weeks. Types Variations of fairs incl ...

s and the annual Mirfield Charity

Bonfire A bonfire is a large and controlled outdoor fire, used either for informal disposal of burnable waste material or as part of a celebration. Etymology The earliest recorded uses of the word date back to the late 15th century, with the Catho ...

organised by Mirfield

Round Table The Round Table ( cy, y Ford Gron; kw, an Moos Krenn; br, an Daol Grenn; la, Mensa Rotunda) is King Arthur's famed table in the Arthurian legend, around which he and his knights congregate. As its name suggests, it has no head, implying that e ...

The Rings

The show is centred on two rings. The first is the Main Ring which hosts the Horse & Pony Show in the morning, followed by main attractions in the afternoon, which have included interactive demonstrations of dogs, birds of prey, duck herding, racing

terrier Terrier (from Latin ''terra'', 'earth') is a type of dog originally bred to hunt vermin. A terrier is a dog of any one of many breeds or landraces of the terrier type, which are typically small, wiry, game, and fearless. Terrier breeds vary ...

Roman military The military of ancient Rome, according to Titus Livius, one of the more illustrious historians of Rome over the centuries, was a key element in the rise of Rome over "above seven hundred years" from a small settlement in Latium to the capital of ...

re-enactment Reenactment or re-enactment may refer to: Legislation * Consolidation bill, a bill that consolidates several Acts of Parliament into a single Act in the United Kingdom * Repeal with reenactment, where a law is replaced with one more suitable Oth ...

s by th
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and

classic car A classic car is an older car, typically 25 years or older, though definitions vary.While other languages, such as German and Dutch, may refer to classic cars as "oldtimers", this usage is unknown in English, where "old-timer" refers to an elder ...

displays. It has also entertained the crowds with

tug of war Tug of war (also known as tug o' war, tug war, rope war, rope pulling, or tugging war) is a sport that pits two teams against each other in a test of strength: teams pull on opposite ends of a rope, with the goal being to bring the rope a certa ...

competitions, children's races and its locally famous

Bush Tucker Bush tucker, also called bush food, is any food native to Australia and used as sustenance by Indigenous Australians, the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, but it can also describe any native flora or fauna used for culinary or ...

Challenge. The second is the Dog Ring which holds the Fun Dog competitions.

The Marquee

The marquee is one of the focal points of the show and is home to various rabbit, pigeon, flower, vegetable and domestic exhibitors - all competing for ''Best in Show'' awards. An additional section is allocated to craft stalls.

History

1944 (Original show)

The original Mirfield Show was founded during 1944 ‘to bring a little sunshine into the wartime lives of local people’. The president was

Colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...

James Walker, and it was opened by

Councillor A councillor is an elected representative for a local government council in some countries. Canada Due to the control that the provinces have over their municipal governments, terms that councillors serve vary from province to province. Unl ...

J H Barraclough,

chairman The chairperson, also chairman, chairwoman or chair, is the presiding officer of an organized group such as a board, committee, or deliberative assembly. The person holding the office, who is typically elected or appointed by members of the grou ...

of Mirfield UDC. The show reached its peak in the early 1960s and after several years of decline it ceased to take place.

1995 (Revised show)

In 1995 Mirfield Agricultural Society was founded, and the show began again on Sunday 20 August, with

duck Duck is the common name for numerous species of waterfowl in the family Anatidae. Ducks are generally smaller and shorter-necked than swans and geese, which are members of the same family. Divided among several subfamilies, they are a form t ...

herding Herding is the act of bringing individual animals together into a group (herd), maintaining the group, and moving the group from place to place—or any combination of those. Herding can refer either to the process of animals forming herds in ...

, a tug of war, organised b
Mirfield Sports Council
and a display fro
Mirfield Martial Arts Club
Subsequent years have seen

Tripe Tripe is a type of edible lining from the stomachs of various farm animals. Most tripe is from cattle, pigs and sheep. Types of tripe Beef tripe Beef tripe is made from the muscle wall (the interior mucosal lining is removed) of a cow's st ...

and Jelly eating competitions,

sheep shearing Sheep shearing is the process by which the woollen fleece of a sheep is cut off. The person who removes the sheep's wool is called a '' shearer''. Typically each adult sheep is shorn once each year (a sheep may be said to have been "shorn" or ...

, dog agility skills,

motorbikes A motorcycle (motorbike, bike, or trike (if three-wheeled)) is a two or three-wheeled motor vehicle steered by a handlebar. Motorcycle design varies greatly to suit a range of different purposes: long-distance travel, commuting, cruising, ...

majorettes A majorette is a baton twirler whose twirling performance is often accompanied by dance, movement, or gymnastics; they are primarily associated with marching bands during parades. Majorettes can also spin knives, fire knives, flags, light-up ba ...

birds of prey Birds of prey or predatory birds, also known as raptors, are hypercarnivorous bird species that actively hunt and feed on other vertebrates (mainly mammals, reptiles and other smaller birds). In addition to speed and strength, these predators ...

fire service A fire department (American English) or fire brigade (Commonwealth English), also known as a fire authority, fire district, fire and rescue, or fire service in some areas, is an organization that provides fire prevention and fire suppression se ...

displays, shirehorses, children's

puppet shows Puppetry is a form of theatre or performance that involves the manipulation of puppets – wikt:inanimate, inanimate objects, often resembling some type of human or animal figure, that are animated or manipulated by a human called a puppeteer. S ...

, a horse powered

threshing machine A threshing machine or a thresher is a piece of farm equipment that threshes grain, that is, it removes the seeds from the stalks and husks. It does so by beating the plant to make the seeds fall out. Before such machines were developed, threshi ...

and performances from

Knottingley Knottingley is a market town in the City of Wakefield in West Yorkshire, England on the River Aire and the old A1 road (Great Britain), A1 road before it was bypassed as the A1(M). Historic counties of England, Historically part of the West Ridi ...

Silver Band In Britain, a brass band (known regionally as a silver band or colliery band) is a musical ensemble comprising a standardized range of brass and percussion instruments. The modern form of the brass band in the United Kingdom dates back to the 1 ...

. The 2003 show was put in doubt due to a lack of exhibitors and again the 2006 show when developers put forward plans to build a new community health centre on the Huddersfield Road Showground. In 2007, despite the early weather, the show pulled in the crowds with record entries in many events.

2007

The event was held on Sunday 19 August. The main ring events included 'Cyril the Squirrel and his Racing Terriers', Bushtucker Challenge (eating competition), and a display of the 'Roman Emperor's Horseguard'. Rachael Carter won the Bushtucker Challenge for the third year (and subsequently retired), whilst Haigh's Farm Shop team won the 'Tug of War' for the second year. The Chairman for the event was Chris Ramsden. The show was opened by Mirfield

Mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well a ...

Robert Bennett. The 1995 show was estimated to have drawn in around one thousand visitors and the 2007 event in excess of 5,000.

2008

The event was held on Sunday 17 August, under the direction of Karen Bullivant, who held the

chair A chair is a type of seat, typically designed for one person and consisting of one or more legs, a flat or slightly angled seat and a back-rest. They may be made of wood, metal, or synthetic materials, and may be padded or upholstered in vario ...

position for this year. It was opened by Margaret Watson of the

Mirfield Reporter The ''Mirfield Reporter'' is a local weekly publication, providing news for residents of Mirfield, West Yorkshire, England, and surrounding areas. It is owned by Johnston Press Digital Publishing, and has sister newspapers '' Dewsbury Reporter' ...

. Attractions include the award winning Springer's Dog agility and

Flyball Flyball is a dog sport in which teams of dogs race against each other from the start to the finish line, over a line of hurdles, to a box that releases a tennis ball to be caught when the dog presses the spring-loaded pad, then back to their ha ...

Club, a demonstration of the 16th-century Japanese classical

martial art Martial arts are codified systems and traditions of combat practiced for a number of reasons such as self-defense; military and law enforcement applications; competition; physical, mental, and spiritual development; entertainment; and the preserv ...

of Takeuchi-ryu by Mirfield's Shoufukan Dojo and a new

Banana A banana is an elongated, edible fruit – botanically a berry – produced by several kinds of large herbaceous flowering plants in the genus ''Musa''. In some countries, bananas used for cooking may be called "plantains", distinguis ...

eating competition. New classes were added for domestic rabbits and amateur gardeners, a children's colouring competition, a photography competition and a creative writing competition. Steve Pope won the Bushtucker Challenge, whilst Haighs Farm Shop team won the tug of war for the 3rd year running!

2009

The event took place on Sunday 23 August, again under the direction of Karen Bullivant, with the highest number of visitors so far, with about 10,000 visitors. The Tug of War was won by The Misfits from Alan Chappelow's Calder Farm and the Horse Show by Care Johnson. Events include the Trials Kings Bicycle Display Team, Ben Potter’s Birds of Prey; the award-winning Knottingley Silver Band; the Grand Bush Tucker Challenge; pony rides, Pinxton Puppets, tug-of-war, cheerleaders, children’s races, a fun beach, Alpacas and a food court.

2010

The event took place on Sunday 22 August and was reported to have had about 12,000 visitors passing through the gates throughout the day - with about 6,000 on the showground at its peak - breaking last year's biggest-ever attendance record of 10,000. The day's festivities, included an appearance of The Kangaroos

Gymnastics Gymnastics is a type of sport that includes physical exercises requiring balance, strength, flexibility, agility, coordination, dedication and endurance. The movements involved in gymnastics contribute to the development of the arms, legs, shou ...

Display Team; the

Royal Artillery The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery (RA) and colloquially known as "The Gunners", is one of two regiments that make up the artillery arm of the British Army. The Royal Regiment of Artillery comprises t ...

Parachute A parachute is a device used to slow the motion of an object through an atmosphere by creating drag or, in a ram-air parachute, aerodynamic lift. A major application is to support people, for recreation or as a safety device for aviators, who ...

Display Team; Find Mirfield a

Town Crier A town crier, also called a bellman, is an officer of a royal court or public authority who makes public pronouncements as required. Duties and functions The town crier was used to make public announcements in the streets. Criers often dress ...

Competition; and Rabbit Jumping - as well as the horse and dog shows, flower and vegetable classes, and rabbit and domestic exhibits. The Tug-of War was won by Bradfield Brewery, beating last year's winners The Misfits in the final.

2011

The event was held on Sunday 21 August and the year's headline acts were the JHC Air Tattoo

Helicopter A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by horizontally spinning rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forward, backward and laterally. These attributes ...

Display Team and the Black Rock

Llama The llama (; ) (''Lama glama'') is a domesticated South American camelid, widely used as a List of meat animals, meat and pack animal by Inca empire, Andean cultures since the Pre-Columbian era. Llamas are social animals and live with othe ...

Display Team. The show was scheduled to be opened by

Lieutenant Colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colone ...

David Eastman

MBE Mbe may refer to: * Mbé, a town in the Republic of the Congo * Mbe Mountains Community Forest, in Nigeria * Mbe language, a language of Nigeria * Mbe' language, language of Cameroon * ''mbe'', ISO 639 code for the extinct Molala language Molal ...

REME The Corps of Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (REME ) is a corps of the British Army that maintains the equipment that the Army uses. The corps is described as the "British Army's Professional Engineers". History Prior to REME's for ...

Show day images

Image:Trials_Kings_Bike_Display_Team_2009.jpg, Trials Kings Bike Display Team Image:Mirfield Show 2007 - Roam's Tug of War.jpg, Roman Horseguard Tug of War team Image:Mirfield Show (best in show flowers).jpg, 'Best in Show' Flower competition Image:Mirfield Show- Children's Puppet Show.jpg, Children's Puppet Show Image:Mirfield Show (Mayor rides train).jpg, Mirfield Mayor rides Miniature Railway Image:Breezeflyballtraining.JPG, Dog Agility and Flyball Image:Mirfield show- Knottingley Silver Band.jpg, Knottingley Silver Band

References

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External links

Mirfield Show official websiteKirklees Council
Agricultural shows in Yorkshire Tourist attractions in Kirklees Festivals established in 1944 Festivals established in 1995 1944 establishments in England