METHOD OF FIXING DATE OF SHOW

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31835, 13 November 1968, Page 22

METHOD OF FIXING DATE OF SHOW

Judging by the number of telephone calls received by the Canterbury Agricultural and Pastoral Association, more than the usual amount of confusion seems to have arisen this year over the late show day. Most years, show day is the second Friday in November, and In fact only five times In the last 40 years has it not been the second Friday. The public Is possibly justified in believing that this is the fixed day. The show has always been on one, two, three or four days between November 2 and November 15 since it was inaugurated in 1863. Up until 1887 it was held on any two or three days of the week. In 1887 the days were Thursday and Friday of the second week, but the next year the days were Thursday, Friday and Saturday, with the sale of stock being the principal event on the Saturday. This pattern remained until 1893 when the Wednesday, Thursday and Friday of the second week were adopted, and that has been the position ever since, except in the few years when Labour Day (established in 1899) has fallen late in October, and show day moves into the third week of November, as it has done this year. The formula for fixing the date of show day, and of the New Zealand Cup meetings at Riccarton and Addington is simple. It is always the third Friday after Labour Day, and Labour Day is always the fourth Monday in October.