Show heads festive lineup

By Jim Mynard
BERWICK Show heads a list of top events in the City of Casey.
It will be held at the leafy Akoonah Park, Princes Highway, Berwick. on the weekend of 2425 February
Casey Council has invited residents to come out and be involved in the events with interests for all ages.
The annual agricultural and horticultural show features the biggest cattle show in Victoria outside the Royal Melbourne Show, and one of the biggest Victorian horse shows.
The show also features a horticultural show and an arts and crafts exhibition.
Other highlights include an animal nursery, wood chopping, cow and goat milking, sheep and alpaca shearing, carnival rides, sideshows, show bags, live bands, highland dancing, show jumping and a spectacular fireworks display on the Saturday night.
The council will also present an interactive display at the new Akoonah Park Centre on the southern end of the main arena.
The show will be open from 9am to 10pm on Saturday and 9am to 4pm Sunday.
Admission is adults $15, aged pensioner $8, children 10 to 15 $8, children under 10 free.
Family tickets for two adults and two children are $30, with Saturday night from 6pm $10.
The second Casey Farmers’ Market at the Old Cheese Factory, Homestead Road, Berwick, will also be held on Saturday, 24 February and every fourth Saturday of the month.
The market provides farm fresh and organic seasonal fruit and vegetables, meat, poultry, fish, herbs, spices, breads, cheeses, wines, olives, preserves and much more.
Don’t forget your shopping bags and trolley.
The market is open from 8am to 12.30pm.
Admission is a gold coin donation.
Further information about the market is available Geoff Rankin on 9769 4459 or www.rotaryberwick.org/market
Swing and Blues by the Lake will set your toes tapping to sensational tunes from the Pearly Shells Band and Geoff Achison at Wilson Botanic Park, Princes Highway, Berwick, on Saturday, 3 March.
Patrons can catch the free shuttle bus from Monash University on Clyde Road and enjoy great food, wine tasting, door prizes and a roving comedian.
The Swing Patrol dancers will be on hand to get everyone moving.
The show starts at 6pm and will run until 10pm.
Admission is Adults $16, concession $12, children $9, and a family ticket $39.
Casey’s Tricodes Race Day will be held at the Cranbourne Racecourse on Sunday, 18 March and promises a day of racing, pacing and chasing.
Tricodes has an agenda to provide an exciting familyfun day at the races.
Tricodes Race Day is Australia’s busiest raceway with 23 races, one every 15 minutes.
Enjoy the live band and free children’s entertainment including the giant slide, animal farm, pony rides, bouncy castle and roving entertainers.
Marquee packages are available.
The gates open at 10.30am, with the first race at 11.20am.
Berwick’s traditional Riding of the Bounds is set for Sunday, 15 April from Akoonah Park, Berwick.
Riding the Bounds is part of a 550yearlong celebration that involves residents riding on horseback around the BerwickuponTweed Borough on the border of England and Scotland in a traditional ceremony to protect England’s borders.
The City of Casey event sees horse riders and horsedrawn vehicles take part in a 15kilometre journey from the park around the Berwick area for riders to inspect the boundaries of Casey and Cardinia Shire.
The ride concludes at Akoonah Park with a barbecue lunch and the presentation of trophies.
The ride starts at 9am and returns by 2pm.
Berwick’s Riding of the Bounds celebrates Casey’s sister city relationship with Berwick upon Tweed.
Further information is available from the City of Casey on 9705 5200.