
CORRIGIN locals and visitors will come together on Saturday September 9 to celebrate the 100th anniversary of their beloved agricultural show.
This year the Corrigin Agricultural Show promises to be extra special, with more events and new highlights.
But the star will be the unveiling of a mural which reflects on the century.
Designed by Corrigin-born artist Sonia Price, the 45-metre long painting will highlight how the show has changed over time as you walk along it.
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Ms Price designed and organised the mural to be a 'paint by numbers', which has allowed the community to get involved.
She said for the more than 115 residents taking part, it had been a joy.
"The question we get all the time is 'when can I come back?'," Ms Price said.
The mural is made up of 30 panels spanning 3 metres x 1.5m, with three panels for each decade.
These start in black-and-white, before colour gradually appears over the years.
When completed, the mural will be arranged on the back of the old woolshed at the Corrigin Recreation Centre and be revealed on the eve of the show.
Corrigin Agricultural Society president Emily Turner said all the old show favourites would be returning for this year's event, including fireworks, a sideshow alley, agricultural displays, the sheaf toss and the shearing competition.
When Ms Turner started as president two years ago, she wanted to inject some modern elements and streamline the way the show operated.
For the first time, a motocross event will take place this year.
The WA Brick Society will have agriculture-related Lego displays and visitors can make their own creations in the brick pit.
As well as arts and crafts, artefacts from the Corrigin Pioneer Museum will be displayed showing the evolution of technology.
For the rule-breaking cake-makers, this year a new chocolate cake competition will allow for total creative and culinary freedom.
"The categories usually have very strict rules about what you can enter," Ms Turner said.
"This competition is open slather - you can use any recipe you want and decorate it.
"It can be as big or as small as you want."
A pipe band and parade around the oval will hark back to the days when the show had a street parade.
There's usually a huge selection of vintage cars and machinery.
Ms Turner said the show was an integral part of the town.
"I think the show is probably the one event that brings the entire community together, regardless of people's interests, age or background," she said.
"It's a lot of different communities working together, it's just this massive community effort from people of all walks of life who come together to pull it off."
Ms Turner said, over time, the show had moved away from tradition and become a more community-focused event.
"I think originally the show was very much about showing off the agriculture and produce of the region - the grains that were grown, the sheep and that sort of thing," she said.
"But as Corrigin is transitioning into other industries, it is just moving forward and changing with the times.
"It could be completely different in the next 100 years, but I think the core and the heart of it is still the same.
"It's a showcase of what a small community can do and bring together."
The first agricultural show was held on October 3, 1923 and became renowned for highlighting the quality of the livestock and produce in the region.
"It was the sort of event you'd get dressed up for," said Corrigin Historical Society secretary Sue Courboules.
Notable features lost over the decades were motorbikes, trotting, equestrian events and boxing.