The October Illabo Show has a special place in many locals’ calendars, but the unfortunate announcement in 2025 claiming the show was over broke the hearts of many.
While many feared the Show was lost for good, a recent announcement about its return on October 10 at the Illabo Showgrounds was a welcome surprise.
President of the Illabo Show Society, Phillip Carter, said a new committee has come on board to piece together the 2026 Show.
“Last year’s conversation was that the show wasn’t going to happen in its current format, but this year we’ve got a new executive committee and [have] been revitalised. We are going to put the show back together with a few changes to make it run more smoothly, more efficiently and hopefully still successfully on the day with the volunteers we have got,” he said.
“So far, we are running through schedules and getting people back on board, and getting in touch with sponsors and the rest just to let them know what is going on.
“People can contact me or email the show if they want to get involved.
“We are always looking for volunteers. We’re hopeful that we can run and operate something that creates a good family day out for the community and bring activities together to get people there from either locally or out of town to experience a small country show.
“For any small community, any activities that can bring everyone together are beneficial. There are declining numbers, so we need to then do everything we can to keep community morale up and having events like this generally only helps that out.
“Community support since the announcement has been 100 percent. Everyone is for it and understands what we’re going through with a limited base to work on and how we are going to manage that going forward.”
More information to come as the date approaches.
Jack Murray
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