EMLEY Show 2012 is aiming to be the biggest and best in the Emley Show’s long history – which, given the success of previous years, will be tough to achieve.

If you’re heavily into the cattle scene, then the Emley Show 2012 is the place for you. If you’re not massively into showing animals and seeing rosettes pinned on them, then still go to Emley Show, as there’s so much more to do than the traditional agricultural events. There’s ferret racing, donkey rides, children’s entertainment – even a travelling zoo with meerkats, snakes and big spiders. I mean, who doesn’t love big spiders?

Emley Show 2012 is on Saturday August 4 and is a great day out for families looking for free things to do in Huddersfield and Yorkshire, because it’s become one of the biggest agricultural shows in the whole of Yorkshire, with everything from the traditional livestock classes through to family entertainment.

As with many agricultural shows, there’s the more serious side of showing your best animals in a variety of competition classes. If you’re proud of your horse, cow, pig, chicken – even hamster or rabbit – then dust them off, clean their teeth (if they have teeth), brush their hair, and take them along for a chance to win. The sheep class categories include Shearling Ram, Ewe to have suckled this year, Ram lamb born 2011, best dressed, and cheekiest smile. Okay, I made the last two up, but the others are genuine.

If you’re bereft of show-worthy livestock, never fear, as there’s entertainment to make it a day out for the whole family, too. A tractor parade is certainly one to watch but not stand in the way of, and the Emley Band will also be keeping everyone tapping their feet as they check out what Emley Show 2012 has to offer. There’s even ferret racing, fun dog show, donkey rides and Geoff Mottram’s Owl Rescue – as well as The Knights of the Damned. The Knights of the Damned is made up of jousting stuntmen – imagine having that on your business card – who, along with foot battles, will perform an ‘Olympic Games Joust of the Home Nations’, with knights from the four home nations. Quite where the Olympics element fits into fire weapons, horse falls and bashing each other with swords isn’t clear, but athletics events would certainly be livened up if they were anything like this.

Emley Show promises to be an awesome day out – head to www.emleyshow.com for more information.