AS COVID-19 restrictions across the state begin to ease, major events are starting to bounce back, with country shows no exception.
The state's show scene took a major hit during the past two years, with very few events able to navigate restrictions and forge ahead with original plans.
Instead, almost all show societies were forced to cancel at least one event, even the Royal Adelaide Show was no exception cancelling both its 2020 and 2021 shows.
With capacity limits scrapped and the state reopening for business, many country institutions are finding their feet, with the start of show season now officially under way.
First cab off the rank was the Lucindale Show on February 26, which fortunately avoided cancellation in 2020 and 2021 due to favourable timing.
Following on from Lucindale was the Mundulla Show on March 5, while Tanunda cancelled its show scheduled for March 12 due to uncertainty surrounding ever-changing restrictions.
Luckily, the fun will ramp up again this weekend, with Mount Pleasant forging ahead on Saturday.
Maitland Show Society and Mount Barker will hold their events on March 26, before the circuit takes a break until mid-August.
Maitland Show Society president Nick Rodda said although restrictions forced the event to be cancelled in 2020 and made the 2021 show more difficult to run, he looked forward to ushering the event into a new era in the wake of the pandemic.
"It was great to be back last year, but restrictions made things quite difficult," he said.
"We were one of the first ones back after 2020, so we kind of set the pace for how shows could navigate the restrictions.
"With the recent announcement of no more density limits, we're really excited to come back and put on a great show and help kick the season off again."
At just 23 years old, Mr Rodda said it was important the younger generation stood up and made a difference at their local show.
"I've been involved in the show here since I was a young teen and it's something I think has really shaped me as I grew up," he said.
"It's not only an opportunity to give back to your community, but it's an experience that can really set you up with the knowledge you need to run your own business or just put you in a good spot for whatever career you choose.
"We're lucky to have a strong committee in Maitland, with a fair few young people joining in. I encourage anyone who is in the position to to see what they can do for their own show, especially after the past two years."
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Mount Pleasant Show Society committee member Jacqueline Francis said she was keen to go full steam ahead this weekend with the event.
"We were unlucky to have COVID-19 come in quite quickly in 2020, meaning we were unable to go ahead," she said.
"Last year we were back, but it was obviously influenced by ongoing restrictions.
"This year we're almost back to business as usual, with only minor things like masks worn inside sheds and judging our indoor exhibits prior to the show to allow it to be open all day."
Ms Francis said Mount Pleasant was a country show in every sense of the term, with horses, animal judging and local produce, which she expected to attract at least 4000 people through the gates at any one time.
Although Mount Pleasant will forge ahead, the same cannot be said for all show societies, with the threat of COVID-19 making an event too difficult to organise.
"Some shows have had to cancel again this year because their volunteers are worried," Ms Francis said.
"If your secretary ends up in quarantine for the day, or your whole committee goes down, you obviously can't go ahead, so it's tough trying to find a way around that.
"It comes down to money as well - if you can't get everything easily refundable and the government changes restrictions quickly, you lose that money and that's tough to come back from."
Despite uncertainty, Ms Francis said she was hopeful all shows would return for good in the coming months.
"Everyone loves a country show - it's one of the most important days of the year in any country town, so we're looking forward to seeing them all bounce back," she said.
The Royal Adelaide Show is also set to return in September and is bolstered by a more than $3 million grant from the federal government through its Supporting Agricultural Shows and Field Days program.
The show was also given a $2.5m investment through the program in 2021.
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