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Gearing up for a new-look Dorset County Show!

NO summer would be complete without a visit to Dorset County Show – and this year promises a host of new and exciting attractions.

Organisers are promising something for everyone at the event, which runs across Saturday and Sunday, September 2 and 3, near Dorchester.

New features such as the world’s largest monster trucks barging their way into the arena will run alongside the traditional spectacle of champion livestock from all over the country, competing to be crowned Best in Show.

Elsewhere, another new introduction sees a Food and Drink Area devoted to the best of British beverages and food, with a particular focus on the array of delicious Dorset producers.

The best of Dorset produce will be on offer at the show

The best of Dorset produce will be on offer at the show

The pop-up foodie paradise is the place to try, buy and enjoy local, take in the atmosphere and enjoy onsite or take home to use in the kitchen.

It will also feature a Music Tent, along with a massive new Food Hall, Dorset’s biggest larder!

The new Hill Top Ring will feature two new attractions; with ponies being put through their paces in the Mounted Pony Club Games, and Shetland Pony Racing.

Meanwhile, you won’t want to miss the amazing dancing sheep – Nobby the Norfolk Horn and his twinkle-hoofed mates – at the hilarious Sheep Show.

The county’s famous Dorset Axemen will be showing off their skills in the new Axemen Ring, while tradition comes alive with the colourful vintage tractor parade.

The little ones will love a free ride on pedal tractors in the Fabulous Food & Farming Area, a hands-on part of the show tracing the journey of food from field to fork, with fun and interactive elements.

The Dorset County Show has put rural pursuits at its heart for well over 100 years.

Visitors can enjoy close-up milking demos, sheep shearing displays, gun dogs in action, falconry and ferret racing in the Countryside Ring. There’s bees, rabbit , poultry, heavy horses, show-jumping, scurry racing and carriage driving and the cutest creatures of the show – cavies.

Green-fingered fans can lose themselves in the beauty of the floral and horticultural marquees and enjoy the stunning show gardens which are created from bare earth within just a few days.

Show organiser, James Cox, said: “We’re so excited about the new layouts and new attractions for this year’s show.

“We welcome many visitors back every year, so our aim is to offer exciting new spectacles alongside firm favourites.

“The new layout will help to maximise visitor enjoyment as we bring together Dorset – from the Jurassic coast to the Blackmore Vale.”

Advance tickets are priced at £19 for adults until August 26, before increasing to £21, then £23 on show days. Children up to 16 years old go free and, if you want to make it a two-day treat, camping on site is available.

James added: “A daily total of 10.5 hours of entertainment and children go free – value like that makes the Dorset County Show an even more incredible day out.”

For more information – and to book online – visit www.dorsetcountyshow.co.uk.

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I am the editor in chief of Blackmore Vale media, which includes the New Blackmore Vale, New Stour & Avon, Salisbury & Avon Gazette and the Purbeck Gazette, having been a reporter for some 20 years. In my spare time, I am a festival lover, with a particular focus on Glastonbury. I live in Somerset with my wife and two children.