Elsworth Show

Updated: 29/09/2017

The Elsworth show is an annual event in the village, currently held in the grounds of Elsworth school in Broad End. The Elsworth Show started in the 1950s and was originally held in the grounds of the rectory when the Rev. Dupré was the incumbent, later moving to the school grounds when the rectory was sold in the early 1960s. The 2017 Elsworth Show will be the 60th Elsworth show.
This page contains links to scanned copies of the show programs between 1969 and 2016, some of which have been used as working copies for the following years show program or even to note the takings from the show. The exhibit classes have not changed a great deal over the years and indeed the value of the prizes has not changed much either. The programs also contain advertisements for local businesses and so provide something of a record of the changing times, charting the disappearance of the village shops and various other local businesses, the appearance of personal computers in the 1980s and new businesses.

An Elsworth resident in the early days of the show recalls the early days of the Elsworth show and the annual village fete which was also held but has since disppeared leaving only the show:

"I regret I cannot really help you with recollections about the show. I seem to remember it starting and being rather underwhelmed by it - perhaps because it was all about exhibits and there was nothing for us children to do.
I have better memories of the annual fete which was held at in the rectory gardens and at least once on the cricket field. My Aunt Bertha commandeered the roulette and ran it every year. It wasn't as racy as it sounds; just a large wooden arrow which spun horizontally on a post stuck in the ground. When the arrow stopped at a number painted in the grass (with the white lining used to mark out the creases on the cricket pitch) the winner got a prize. The prizes were useful rather than frivolous -.a bag of sugar or tea, most likely. There was always a fancy dress, traditional games like treasure hunts and bowling for a pig, and I seem to remember that Joe Braybrook regularly ran the coconut shy. Probably because of the long time it took to transport the coconuts, they were never worth winning."

13th Elsworth Show 1969	15th Elsworth Show 1971	16th Elsworth Show 1972	17th Elsworth Show 1973	18th Elsworth Show 1974
19th Elsworth Show 1975	20th Elsworth Show 1976	21st Elsworth Show 1977	22nd Elsworth Show 1978	23rd Elsworth Show 1979
24th Elsworth Show 1980	25th Elsworth Show 1981	26th Elsworth Show 1982	27th Elsworth Show 1983	28th Elsworth Show 1984
30th Elsworth Show 1986	31st Elsworth Show 1987	32nd Elsworth Show 1988	33rd Elsworth Show 1989	34th Elsworth Show 1990
35th Elsworth Show 1991	36th Elsworth Show 1992	37th Elsworth Show 1993	38th Elsworth Show 1994	40th Elsworth Show 1996
41st Elsworth Show 1998	42nd Elsworth Show 1999
46th Elsworth Show 2003	47th Elsworth Show 2004	48th Elsworth Show 2005	49th Elsworth Show 2006	50th Elsworth Show 2007
54th Elsworth Show 2011	55th Elsworth Show 2012	56th Elsworth Show 2013	57th Elsworth Show 2014	58th Elsworth Show 2015
59th Elsworth Show 2016	60th Elsworth Show 2017

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