They came in the heat, and they came in droves.
This, at least, was the assessment of the beaming Jaze Pink at the giant Pinks food van boasting all the classic show food groups - from fairy floss to the giant foot-long dagwood dogs.
"My husband's old stomping ground is here, I've been coming here for 32 years," Ms Pink said passing out buckets of fairy floss to passing families.
"They're always a great crowd and we have a great vibe with them. It's one of my first shows for a while. I've been out of action for a bit. But, man, I'm pumped. They have come in the heat today. They were happy. Then they came in the afternoon, and they are now having the best night of their lives."
Bella Maher, from Newcastle, was catching up with friends from Cameron Park last night at the Newcastle Show when she won Delilah, the giant blue dinosaur, on the darts along sideshow alley.
"It's always really fun," she said of her third visit to the show. "You've got to come around and have a look."
It took Bella a couple of tries to win Delilah, but she said it was well worth it. Braxta, the teddy bear at home, will have a new best friend, she said with a smile.
COVID had cast a long shadow over the Hunter institution but, like most institutions, the Newcastle Show has re-emerged from the dark years with a renewed vigour.
In its 122nd year, the event's chief executive Catherine Blanch said the annual showcase of the Hunter's produce, craftsmanship and heritage would cast a new light on the region.
"We're not frightened to dream big in this city," she said yesterday as organisers made their final preparations before thousands were expected to stream through the gates for the three-day spectacular.
"We had struggled after COVID, but we've tried to change our focus now to more of an urban agricultural slant, and we have all the support now of our backyard farmers, our craft people, our home cooks who have been inspired by cooking shows on TV," she said.
The show has been overwhelmed with more than 2000 entries to its various competitions and the art exhibition has doubled in size since the show took it's backyard-agricultural shift, Ms Blanch said, to say nothing of the showcase event - the highly anticipated "Outback Experience" live performance that promises to bring the rugged history of the Australian bush to life against the backdrop of the carnival at the weekend.
"I think that what we have found is that people are wanting to return to those traditional roots, like home cooking and gardening and agriculture, but they are doing it with a modern twist," Ms Blanch said.
"I became a grandmother for the first time, and the joy my granddaughter brings me has inspired so many memories I have of when I was a child. I think about where we started from and what we have done, and we wanted to show children and families something that they may never see again.
"That's what's different about Newcastle. We are one of those urban agricultural shows where we have those traditional values but we have it in a mighty sea port with that modern twist."
