The Orange Show kicked off with a bang as thousands streamed through the gates.
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Show society president Peter Naylor said it felt on Saturday that gate numbers were up on last year.
“We’ve been lucky with the weather, it’s helped us a bit,” Mr Naylor said.
Mr Naylor said the arrival of Better Homes and Gardens had helped attract people, and so many people had arrived with old photos from previous visits.
The Naylor family was honoured with an official ceremony to dedicate the pavilion.
“There’s more that needs to be done, I just hope that in my lifetime I can see it move to where I visualised it to be,” he said.
Orange’s Tess Crossley was announced as the 2017 Showgirl.
Miss Crossley said it was important to be an ambassador for the younger generation.
“It’s showing that you can do whatever you put your mind to,” she said.
“If you don’t succeed at first, try again. I know it’s cliched, but it’s about having a go, enjoying yourself and putting yourself out there.”
Miss Crossley said Orange wasn’t always seen as a rural town despite its strong agricultural roots.
“There’s a massive community around Orange that are solely based around agriculture, they’ve been there for generations,” she said.
Among the guests at the show was Better Homes and Garden’s veterinarian Harry Cooper, who had the chance to catch up with some of his friends including Mr Naylor.
“I knew his mum and dad for just so long because they were into cage birds and in those days I bred budgerigars,” he said.
“The Naylors just lived and breathed Orange, Ray and Betty would travel around all the country shows. They just stood up and worked, and worked and worked their bums off.”
Dr Cooper said he enjoyed coming to regional areas such as Orange.
“This is the real deal, this is Australia, this is what it’s all about,” he said.
Dr Cooper was one of the stars from Better Homes and Gardens on hand to officially start the show after the grand parade.
The program’s presenter Johanna Griggs said: “What is here at this show, is what we have on our show every Friday night.
“The great thing about two days here is we’re just meeting people, just really interesting people.”
Ms Griggs said the a segment on the program would feature the show, the city of Orange and the region as a whole.