IT'S back.
Like many rural events last year, the Make Smoking History Williams Gateway Expo was cancelled due to COVID-19, but that is not the case this year, with the 21st running of the event to be held on Saturday, April 10,
So if you are looking for a day of family fun, market stalls, sheep showing, shearing competitions, fashion parades and lots of fun for the kids, the expo will be the place to be.
Since its inception, the expo has grown and evolved into a relaxing, informative and entertaining family event from 10am to 10pm.
The community event started as a much-needed autumn sheep show and has developed into a great family event for local and regional communities.
This year the show has received funding from Lotterywest, Healthway, Government of Western Australia's Road Safety Community grants program, Newmont Boddington Gold, Milne Feeds, Australian Wool Innovation (AWI), Farm Weekly and many other regional and local sponsors, enabling the organising committee to maintain entry as a gold coin donation.
Sheep and wool production has been the back bone of the Williams community since its establishment and it has a real focus on this, following wool from the sheep's back to the fashion runway.
After the success of the fashion parade in the past years, it will again be a highlight and the committee see it as a great way to showcase the sheep and wool story.
The clothing in the parade is from the Williams Woolshed, which makes it a great opportunity to see a range of wool-based fashions which are affordable and sold locally.
Two parades will be held and local models will feature in the parade.
In the ram shed there will be a great display of some of the State's best genetics, which shows where the story starts.
Ram shed exhibitors have the chance to win one of the two Honda motorbikes in breeder's group classes for two rams and two ewes, thanks to Farm Weekly sponsorship.
One motorbike will be for the Merino section and the other in the British and Australasian section, where one team from each breed will compete.
AWN, which has established a wool, livestock and real estate operation in WA in the past 12 months, will sponsor the supreme exhibit in the Merino and Poll Merino section.
The Farm Weekly Expo Shears will tell another story of the wool industry and complement the sheep show and fashion parade.
The humming of the shearing plant and the action of shearing shed will be in the four-stand transportable shearing shed purchased by the expo committee more than five years ago.
There will be five divisions in the competition including novice, under 21, intermediate, senior and open.
A special prize of a hand piece, donated by Williams Rural Supplies, will offer the young guns an extra incentive to enter the under 21 section.
The action in the open section is sure to be fast and furious as it will allow shearers to gain points towards qualification for State selection.
The competition starts at 8.30am with the novice event being held about 12 noon.
For children and the young at heart, free entertainment includes Old McDonald's farm animals, face painting, log chopping and live music from midday
But it doesn't end there - children can also have fun at the Rad Rocks rope course and Mad Cow activities including mechanical meltdown, Paw Patrols and much more.
For those with slightly more refined tastes, there will be a gourmet food and wine marquee, where you will be able to tantalise your taste buds with wine, cheese, and other yummy preserves.
There will also be a great variety of food stalls, ensuring something for everyone's food cravings during the day, plus nearly 50 other stalls to browse.
The photography competition is also on again and entries will be displayed in the pavilion and images will be based around a variety of topics.
The popular Things with Wheels display is also on again, with cars from local enthusiasts on display, so why not inspect the beautiful vehicles from the past times through to today.
Country music by Campfire Country and Lansdell Family Country Music will be played from 12-4pm, with a blend of Australian Bush Ballads.
The expo was set to welcome Queensland entertainer Walter Whip and the Flames, but sadly due to the Queensland border closure announced this week he will no longer be performing.
The finale for the day will be the fireworks display from 7pm.
Following the fireworks, the entertainment will continue for the young at heart with music by a soloist to culminate another Make Smoking History Williams Gateway Expo.
