A NEW entrant into the popular world of South Australian farming and agriculture shows has emerged this year as the Freeling F.A.R.M. Centre prepares to host its first Light Regional Farm & 4x4 Expo on March 25 and 26.
F.A.R.M (Freeling Agricultural, Recreation & Multi-use) Centre manager Ross Sharer said the facility was built with this kind of event in mind, and with a popular local event recently being discontinued, now felt like the perfect time to run the field day.
“Initially, the building was built with the hope that we’d run some sort of expo or field days event,” Mr Sharer said.
“We didn’t have one in the first couple of years that we were open
“And then early last year, we got word that the Kapunda Farm Fair wasn’t going to go ahead any more, and organiser Bill Adams was going to retire, and luckily he was happy to pass it over to us to run a similar event.
“We jumped on that, because it’s ideal for us to sort of piggyback off a well-known event like the Kapunda Farm Fair because they already have dedicated stallholders and the interest of the public, which was always going to be difficult to generate from scratch.
Ultimately we want to stress that we are organising this on behalf of the local community.
“So we at Belgravia Leisure (the company that operates the F.A.R.M Centre) will carry the heavy lifting and the organising burden, but all profits will be going back to the Freeling Community Recreation Park management committee and local sporting clubs.”
While Mr Sharer and his team are keen to ensure that the 250-plus stallholders tick all of the boxes when it comes to the farming and 4x4 crowd, there will also be a focus of making the event fun for the whole family.
“Recently going to some of the field days, it’s clear that they aren’t traditionally aimed at kids and families,” Mr Sharer said.
We want to have that farming aspect and the 4x4 aspect, but we also want something that the partner and kids can come to as well and enjoy a big family day out.
"We’re going to have petting zoos, donkey rides and pony rides, jumping castles, wood-chopping –and a few other bits and pieces that we’re still locking in on the entertainment side of things.
“For those more interested in the farming side, we’ve got about a dozen bigger farming companies coming – you’ll have the local ones like Tundarri and Emmetts, as well as some of the smaller farming exhibitors, so we’re really excited about how it’s all coming together.”
If you would like to apply for a stall at the inaugural Light Regional Farm & 4x4 Expo, head to thefarmcentre.com.au and follow the instructions.
