The Ag Show will return in 2016 and for the first time will be funded entirely through charitable donations.

Numerous devotees were disappointed when the tradition was abandoned this year for lack of funding.

After the issue garnered added publicity, it was rescheduled only to be cancelled again for health and safety reasons.

AG Show Ltd is now a registered charity managing through a public-private partnership after signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Bermuda Government in July.

Board members David Lopes and Antwan Albuoy gave an overview of the plans for next year’s exhibition in a press statement yesterday.

The Bermuda Agricultural Show, its now official title, will take place from April 14 to 16 at the Botanical Gardens and the board is presently accepting proposals for services and goods.

Mr Lopes said: “This year’s show will be completely funded through charitable donations, both monetary and in-kind, and we are very excited that we will be able to keep one of the staples of Bermuda’s community events alive.

“The plans from the upcoming show are well on their way and we are excited to announce that we are accepting proposals for services and goods for the upcoming show.

“This will give people of the community a chance to participate with their businesses.”

Their wish list includes persons who can provide tents, seating, security, trash clean-up, catering, sound equipment and staging.

He added: “It’s been very heart-warming with the amount of people who stop us everyday and say, ‘Hey, I want to volunteer — What can I do?’”

Mr Albuoy, the charity’s director, said they will be hosting a “volunteer party” inviting members of the public to sign up for the various roles.

He said: “We will do that in the next couple of weeks. We can never have too many volunteers.”

Mr Lopes said they had already met with the show’s regular participants seeking input that would aid them in improving the event, calling the experience a “learning process”.

A dairy farmer and well-known radio personality, Mr Lopes has been involved in the “exhibition” since the 1950s, but this is his first time in this capacity.

“We are the show,” he said.

“We certainly have a strong committee of people who really want to see this show succeed.”

Extinguishing any concerns that the 2016 Ag Show may too be sidelined, he said: “Mark it on your calendar!”

Mr Albuoy confirmed the go-ahead with the stipulation “barring an act of god”.

He added: We’re looking at a different aspect of the show. It will be different. Better, maybe, but definitely different.

Attendees can expect a roster made up entirely of local entertainment.

“We don’t have any imported acts coming and so far the businesses that have said they are going to support us are all local businesses,” Mr Lopes told The Royal Gazette.

As a cost reducing measure, the entire catalogue will be available online with a few hard copies “for folks that have been around as long as I have,” Mr Lopes said.

Prospective companies can contact show secretary Mica Murray at secretary@theagshowbda.com and applications for food vendors will follow in January 2016