It is with great excitement that we look back to an extremely successful 2010 Bloem show.  We were blessed with good attendance and excellent support from all our visitors, exhibitors and agricultural breeders.  We are grateful for everyone that contributed to this year’s success.

Attendance figures indicates that 100 137 people attended the 2010 Bloem show over the 10 day period of the show.  That is a phenomenal 15% increase from 2009, with 13 100 more people attending the show than in 2009.  The last Saturday of the show, a record number of 20 250 people attended the show.

The SA Saddle horse championship was a huge success with 930 entries and the SA Five gated championship was won by Brave Heart Warrior, with Tharina Smith in the saddle, from the Juhanta Stables.

The fun park was one of the main attractions.  Several new rides and the huge Big Wheel, been the largest in the country, were part of the fun park.  Several other entertainment venues on the grounds contributed to the exciting feeling at the show.  This included battery cars, inflatable play-areas, paintball, water balls and simulator.

Bloem show has always been known for its great exhibitors and stunning Food stalls.  This year was no exception.  Bloem show this year accommodated 430 exhibitors and a variety of about 37 food and refreshment stalls ensured that visitors had enough to eat.  Several agricultural exhibitors were also part of Bloem show for the first time.  Bloem Show received several compliments about the layouts of the exhibition halls and the carpets, together with the executive divisions between exhibitions, contributed to a neat and professional look.  Bloem show focused on children this year and several entertainments were presented to visiting kids.  In this regard a new Kiddies hall was established in conjunction with Babies online.  Exhibitors in this hall focused on the needs of children and parents and the new changing room were praised by all visitors.

A variety of top artists visited the Bloem show from 22 April – 1 May 2010.  The largest show was certainly on Saturday, 1 May, when Ringo performed.  This evening was a huge success and included the following pre-shows:
16h00        TZA Entertainment (Motsetserepa, Vivian Thenjwa/First Journey) - local
17h30        Lesedi FM (Lehlohona Tsholo) - local
19h00        New creation & Lesedi FM, Lehlohona Tsholo - local
20h00        Radi & Lesedi FM, Lehlohona Tsholo - Local
21h00-22h00    Ringo

Upcoming artists also got the chance to showcase their talent and performed on the program before the main events.

The crowning of Miss Windmill Bloem show was held on Thursday, 22 April 2010 with Romanz as guest artists.  Celeste van Drunick was crowned as Miss Windmill Bloem show, with Elsa Venter as first princess and Raésa Hassan as second princess.

The popular Ovaltrack racing entertained visitors till after midnight on Friday, 30 April 2010.

Educational exhibitions at the Bloem show included exhibitions from The SA Police Service and SA Armour Museum.

Some other events that contributed to the success of the show:
•         Speed shearing Competition on 22 April
•         CMW Back to Back Competition, where a sheep was sheared, the wool spinned and a
           jersey knitted in a new SA record of 8 hours, 13 minutes and 40 second.
•         The National Jack Russel Show on 24 & 25 April
•         Art and Home Industry section – 2 194 entries received in the Home Industry section,
         140 more than in 2009. A record number of 770 entries in the Art section, 70 more than
          in 2009.
•         The Dairy section also increased their number of entries with the inclusion of goat
          milk products. 154 items were entered, which is 70 more than in 2009.


The agricultural section is a huge part of the Bloem show and we successfully accommodated 16 championships at the 2010 Bloem show.  Five of these were national championships, hosted by the Saddle horses, Welsh Ponies, Merino Landsheep, Dexter cattle breed and the sheep shearing championships.  After years of absence, the International Dorper championships were also hosted during the show.  The other championships were regional and provincial championships.

On Friday, 30 April, the 1 SSB revue Parade were hosted in the main arena.  This event was presented in the presence of Genl. Chris Gildenhuys and several high ranked officers.  The exhibition o of the SA Armour museum won three trophies and was one of the main attractions at the show.

Safety of our visitors will always be a priority to us.  During the 2010 Bloem show, a minimal number of cases were reported at the police station on the grounds and only a few medical injuries were reported at the First Aid stand of Netcare 911.  A joint operation centre were established on the showgrounds, consisting of all the major role players of the Police, Disaster Management, Security, First Aid, Gates personnel and Bloem show management.

We thank each exhibitor, visitor, service provider, sponsor and the media for the enormous contribution to the success of this year’s show.  We once again ensured a large economic boost to Bloemfontein and the Free State.