IT started of as a bid to raise money to restore the local court house, and with the third edition coming up, the Emmaville sheep races have grown out to an event with the calibre of a true picnic race.
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The event is scheduled for Saturday March 15 at the acreage behind the court house and starts off with a poets’ breakfast at 7.30am where Tenterfield’s Tony Kelly will recite some of his tales of the bush.
Before the actual sheep racing starts at noon, Ray Kneippe from Dundee will give a sheepdog handling demo from 9.30 till about 11.30, showing how to best train a sheepdog pup and what the furry workers are actually capable of when fully trained.
There are 10 sheep races scheduled on the day, all with 16 sheep starting- except for the Shute Bell Cup, which will see 20 sheep battling it out to be the first to cross the finish line.
Organiser and president of the court house community centre Ann Fairbanks said the sheep did not need to be trained for the race.
“We’ll have lots of kids and dogs chasing them,” she said and laughed. “They come straight out of the Paddock.”
The track is 200 metre long, with a u-bend and there will be corporate tents on either side.
The sheep, with names like ‘Babaa’, YouBeaut, FullofSheep, Baarbara, Lambshank and Merryl Sheep will all be ridden by teddy bear jockeys.
Entry to the races is $5 and includes a ticket that will go into a draw to determine who backs the winning sheep in each race.
Prize money for each race is $200, provided by local business houses, although not for race 6, the Shute Bell Cup, for which the different sheep are auctioned off - something that will most likely result in a whole pool of money for the winner.
The previous years the event drew 600-700 people, and not just from the local area. Visitors came from as far as Sydney, Maitland, Newcastle and Goondiwindi and of course from Tenterfield, and a Cross Country bus is again expected to drive down from Brisbane.
To get a little bit of state rivalry happening between locals and visitors from over the border, Mrs Fairbanks said race 9 was made a State-of-Origin race, in which half of the racing sheep will represent blue, the other half maroon.
Fashion of the field competition will be held, with vouchers from local fashion houses and hairdresser to be won in the categories best dressed couple, lady, man as well as young contemporary women (15-18 years old) and best dressed boy/girl under 15.
Mrs Fairbanks said the judges would be looking for “ a general well-groomed race-day look, with attention to detail”.
The contemporary young lady would get away with less up-market style than the rest, and “a stand-alone, trendy look” is the criterion in this division.
The catering on the day will have a lot to offer. There will be Devonshire tea, with scones, there is a baa (bar) and there will be a baa-baa-cue. Several market stalls with arts and craft will be set up as well, and the ewe-band will be playing some tunes in the afternoon.
“Don’t be sheepish and flock along,” said Mrs Fairbanks.
After the money raised in 2012 and 2013 (about $10,000 and $16,000) payed for painting and restore the inside of the court house, the aim this year is to get the outside painted as well.
But Mrs Fairbanks said that organising the event was not just about raising money, but that it was mainly about putting something on for the community.
“The local graziers are having a difficult time and it will be great to see them (relax) and have a good time,” she said.
