Ag-Ucational Entertainment
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RACQ Animal Nursery grow their own super tasty food right at home. When: 9am-5pm daily With help from Sunny the Sunflower and farmhands Abbey and Audrey, Rob will show the kids how to grow seedlings in an egg Where: Animal Boulevard (O-11) carton, tell them exactly how hard farmers work and explain what type Ekka’s most adorable animals are at home in the RACQ Animal of products can be recycled. Nursery. The kids (and the big kids) will be all smiles as they get up The kids will have fun singing and dancing along to educational songs close to more than 550 of their favourite farmyard animals on their throughout the show, such as Corn Pickin, H20 and Recycling. adventure through the nursery. They’ll get to feed, pat and get selfies We’re sure Farmer Rob and his helpers are going to be farmtastic! with a range of loveable animals including calves, lambs, ducklings, chooks and goats. The RACQ Animal Nursery is a family favourite and Heritage Bank Racing Pigs Helping to lead the mesmerising pigs through their performance the perfect opportunity for city kids to get up close to animals they Rob Black don’t normally get to see, making memories that will last a lifetime. will be 10 year old Mater Vandeleur, who made international news Rob is a Brisbane based musician who was once described by When: 11am, 12pm, 1.30pm, 2.30pm & 3.30pm when, at the age of 7, he took centre stage at the show’s 2015 Ekka Pat-a-Pig country great Lee Kernaghan as “one of the hottest singer/guitarists to daily appearances. The cutest little piggies can be found at the Pat-a-Pig display in the rock Australian country since Keith Urban.” Where: Stockman’s Rest (O-5) One thing we know for sure – this show will not be a boar! RACQ Animal Nursery. Ekka guests will have fun patting and sharing a The Farmer Rob Show commenced in 2011, when Rob and his wife cuddle with these charming little creatures. Pigs really will fly at Ekka (and no, we’re not telling porkies), with the Kelly saw an opportunity to combine their existing experience in the return of the wildly popular racing and diving pigs! Meet the family behind the performing pigs Cradle-a-Chick entertainment industry, Rob’s passion for healthy living and raising four young children. Tiny chicks will hatch from eggs in special incubators in the RACQ These brave little piggies will fly through the sky, dive into a pool of Michael and Sharleen Vandeleur water and race each other around a track. Animal Nursery. Visitors can then get to know the spring chickens by They started writing songs for their kids that eventually became the Husband and wife Michael and Sharleen run MTV Promotions Pig cradling them in the palm of their hand. This is one experience worth backbone of the early Farmer Rob Show playlist. The pigs are extremely competitive and FAST - they can cover a 50 Racing Australia. Michael is the head pig trainer, while Sharleen assists chirping about! metre racing track in a little over five seconds! with training and is also the starting box operator for the show. The audience will get involved in the race. They’ll be split into four Crackup Sisters Mater Vandeleur sections, cheering loudly for their assigned pig. AG-UCATIONAL ENTERTAINMENT When: 1.30pm, 2.30pm & 3.30pm daily When the last curly tail has crossed the finish line, it’s time for the Michael and Sharleen’s 10 year old son, Mater, has grown up helping Farmer Rob Show - NEW diving stars to make a splash. his parents train the racing and diving pigs. Mater has been a media Where: Community Stage (N-15) sensation since he was just three years old, when he became an on- After running up their two metre high specially designed and built When: 10.30am, 11.30am & 12.30pm daily The energetic Crackup Sisters will give families a laugh with their stage pig handler for the show. diving platform, up to three little piggies will launch themselves into a Where: Community Stage (N-15) hilarious stories of country Australia. They’ll perform a unique blend of comedy, whipcracking and slapstick diving tank. Tom Vandeleur See the much loved Australian kids program, the Farmer Rob Show, acrobatics, as they tell stories of the outback and its larrikin characters. These are the only true diving pigs in the world and hold the Guinness Tom is Michael’s Dad and a long standing MC for the racing and diving live at Ekka. Through their show, the Crackup Sisters remind people to ‘get in and Book of Records for the longest dive by a pig. pigs. Tom and Michael first started the show 25 years ago. Farmer Rob will teach kids all about life on the farm and how they can 36 37 The Crackup Sisters give it a go,’ as they tell the feats, the failings and the reality of people will judge - just who will pull out all the stops to be the star of the Praying Mantis and Beetle Stilt Walkers - NEW Grand Parade on the land. show? When: 11.30am (beetle), 12.30pm (beetle), 1.30pm When: 1pm August 15 The duo, Amanda-Lyn and Alyssa, are bright and energetic - they Not only will the show be an absolute hoot, the kids will learn describe themselves as having the wild antics of the Looney Tunes, the interesting agricultural facts along the way like how many cartons of (praying mantis) & 4pm (praying mantis) Where: Main Arena (L-8) heartfelt stories of Slim Dusty, the give it a go attitude of Steve Irwin milk a cow can produce a day (13) and how many sheep are shorn in Where: Gregory Terrace (I-14) Around 500 of the best of the best animals will be on show in the and a tonne of glamour like Dame Edna. Australia each year (more than 70 million). Lady bug and praying mantis stilt walkers will bring nature to life iconic Grand Parade, held on People’s Day. This show is fun for the whole family. With the farmyard friends’ unique personalities and crazy antics, this is as they dance, wander and tiptoe through the crowds on Gregory It’s the parade of champions, from the tiny Grand Champion Fish of one show the whole family is guaranteed to love. Terrace. Show to the huge Grand Champion Stud Bull, along with ribbon-winning Meet the silly sisters When they’re not on stage, look out for these cuddly characters roving For the very first time at Ekka, Empress Stilt Walkers will wow crowds goats, beef cattle, dairy cattle, cats, dogs, horses and alpacas. around Gregory Terrace at 2pm each day. They’ll be eager to give kids with their brightly coloured and visually gorgeous costumes - perfect Certainly a sight to see, the Grand Parade also features winners from Amanda-Lyn Pearson and Alyssa Venning a high five and pose for a selfie. for a family selfie! the Flower and Garden and Fine Arts sections and even Miss Showgirl Based in Winton, outback Queensland, Amanda-Lyn and Alyssa have Based in Sydney, this international performance group has entertained will make an appearance. taken their show right across Australia and overseas. They’ve featured crowds for 22 years in more than 18 different countries. at the Calgary Stampede in Canada, the National Finals Rodeo in Las Queensland State Shearing and Wool Handling The stilt characters have a popular, family friendly appeal and are sure Vegas and have wowed crowds at the biggest rodeos across Australia. Dance Groups Championships - NEW to be loved by Ekka audiences. Amanda-Lyn and Alyssa are the world’s only female rodeo clowns When: 10am to 4.30pm daily When: 11am (Round 1), 2pm (Round 2) & 5pm and in 2016 they received the Story Tellers of the Year Award from the Where: Community Stage (N-15) Rural Regional and Remote Women’s Network. (Finals) August 18 Opening Ceremony Where: Expo Place (P-10) More than 50 dance groups from across Queensland will take to the When: 12pm August 11 Community Stage over the 10 days of show. Eight of the best sheep shearers and wool handlers in Queensland will Farmyard Friends Stage Show They’ll all get the chance to showcase their talents in front of an go head to head at the Queensland State Shearing and Wool Handling Where: Main Arena (L-8) audience, with dance genres on display from ballet to Bollywood and When: 3pm daily Championships, held at Ekka for the very first time. A special opening ceremony will be held on the first weekend of show, cheerleading to calisthenics. Where: Community Stage (N-15) Run by Sports Shear Australia-Queensland, four shearers will each to welcome Ekka guests from across the state. The dance groups include Dancing Stars Toowoomba, V-Hub Dance, give four sheep a haircut, with the shearer who records the fastest time It’s rich in heritage and tradition and includes the Blessing of the Everyone’s favourite farmyard friends will take to the stage in a talent The Flamenco Studio and Poppet and Grace. quest full of laughs. taking out the win - it’s sure to be a close shave! Plough, the sounds of the Australian Army Band Brisbane and two livestock parades featuring hundreds of the country’s best beef cattle. Barbara-ann Streisand the sheep, Daisy the cow and Milo the sheep The four wool handlers will then compete, being judged on how flat dog will battle it out with their moves and microphone on ‘The Choice.’ they can throw the fleece onto a table.