Irvine Ag Society delighted to host its 40th anniversary show

By Justin Seward Southern Alberta Newspapers on August 17, 2021.

The Irvine Agriculture Society's Wanda Woodward Memorial Bench Show returns Sept. 4-5.--SUPPLIED IMAGE

After a year hiatus due to the pandemic, the Irvine Agriculture Society’s Wanda Woodward Memorial Bench Show is excited to return Sept. 4-5 for its 40th year.

The Bench Show began in 1981 at the school and grew to the point where it made its way into the Sports Complex.

A bench show is a place where people can gather to display items made with the best of their skills.

“I think what I am excited about most in taking over the committee co-ordinator position is that now is this time when I think we are looking backward to look forward in an odd way … in that we’re looking at the skills of our ancestors as far more relevant now than maybe we did two years ago even,” said co-ordinator Amber Coderre.

It was always the committee’s goal to return this year for the 40th anniversary.

“So, given all the ups and downs we’ve had over the last couple of years for events in the province with COVID, we weren’t sure if we would be able to go ahead with the 40th,” said Coderre.

“But because you know it feels like a landmark birthday, we felt that we needed to go ahead with it, even if it was potentially smaller this year. We are looking forward to it.”

On top of the excitement of being able to host, the committee is looking forward to what members feel are renewals of the event.

“Irvine has done amazingly well keeping their bench show over the years,” said Coderre.

“Many small towns have lost theirs. I feel that with all the hard work of the local people who’ve kept it running -we’ve had good years and bad years, there (have) been floods – (that) it’s still been held. That all really speaks to the resiliency of the people of Irvine. I think what we’re excited about is the renewal of that tradition.”

The hope is to educate more people on what a bench show is.

“I think for those of us that grew up going to the bench shows – like the Wanda Woodward Memorial or the Medicine Hat Exhibition or even the Calgary Stampede – we’re familiar with what that means,” explained Coderre.

“But there are a great number of people who even though they’ve grown up here or maybe they’ve moved here from out of province, they don’t actually know what that means when you say, ‘I’m going to go see the bench show.'”

The Bench Show is split into six sections – agriculture, gardening, food, handy craft, industrial art and fine arts – for participants to register their items into.

On top of skills being put on display, there will be several new aspects to the show.

The Bench Show has partnered with Medicine Hat’s Six-on Six-Entertainment this year to host an axe-throwing challenge from 2-4 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.

The Wanda Woodward Memorial Bench Show will be from noon to 6 p.m. on Sept. 4 and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sept. 5.

Early bird registration will be Aug. 30 from 4-8 p.m. and Sept. 3 from 2-4 p.m. Perishable items can be registered on Sept. 4 from 8-10 a.m. at the Sports Complex.