Chale Show – Fun for all the family

Chale Show triple

I pick the crazy vegetable place….  The Chale Show

Summer 2017, myself and my 5 year old have travelled far and wide.  Well, actually, not that far and wide as we have been on the Isle of Wight for most of it!

My daughter has kept a scrapbook of her adventures this summer holiday.  We sat down last night to discuss our favourite bits, as the 6 week break draws to a close.

We have been to Blackgang Chine, partied at Carnivals, festivaled at Fringe Week, paddled in pools, eee-awwed with donkeys, hung out where Queens used to live…. but, do you know which day out the 5 year old choose as her favourite?

The Chale Show

I was quite surprised, the Chale Show was one of my favourites too, but I had expected Blackgang Chine or maybe even Robin Hill to steal the number 1 spot.  I delved deeper into the 5 year old’s mind….

Mummy, those crazy vegetable were soooo funny (starts giggling again), and they had the best circus people there (remember the lady that taught me how to do some tricks?),  and what about that crazy man doing flips on his quad bike…. and the rabbit wine bottle, penguin aubergine and scarecrow people (more giggles).Chale wine bottles Chale junk models

Let me explain the excited ramblings of a 5 year old…..

There were lots of vegetables.  Perfect vegetables. Large Vegetables. Animals made out of vegetables.  Vegetable competitions on every level.  Each category was judged and prizes allocated.  We had lots of fun choosing our own favourites.

The Horticultural Tent was huge, prizes and categories were wide and varied;  flowers, art, photography, food, junk modelling, scarecrows.  You could almost spend an hour or 2 just in the tent, marvelling at the hours spent creating masterpieces.  Trust me, there really has been a lot of time and effort put into the entries.  You can feel the competitive edge the minute you walk in there.  The perfect shaped cucumber and 5 identical straight runner beans did not come about by accident.  A lot of love and dedication went into those.

Vegetables ChaleWe spent the whole day at the show (not just in the tent!) and enjoyed the many shows on offer in the arena; Mad Australian’s on quad bikes, stunts on horses and children’s races.

Daughter loved the circus workshop.  She made a crown and joined in with learning to juggle, spin plates and dance with a rainbow ribbon.  I left her and Daddy there (who had also joined in with learning how to juggle) and headed off to the Earl Mountbatten charity stall.  I meant to only buy a charity sunflower, but left with 2 tops and a skirt (which I may add, I got a lot of wear out of on my holiday.  Top finds).

Along with the main arena, there was a stage and plenty of hay bales to hang out on and enjoy the live music.  We stopped by there quite often on our way around and the live acts were great each time.

The History

The Chale Show started back in 1920, obviously on a slightly smaller scale to what is on offer today.  The entries for veg, fruit and flowers were limited to people from the village and I am guessing maybe didn’t need such a large marquee.  In its 91st year, the Chale Show is obviously doing something right and it is nice to read about the many local and Island causes that benefit from their charity donations.

We are ready for show 92 – see you in 2018!

Our Verdict on the day – It’s a perfect family day out (kids also get in for free) 10/10

Leave a Comment