With the 2016 Bermuda Agricultural Show set to begin two weeks from today, organiser David Lopes is hoping it will be “as good or better than it’s been before”.

Taking place from April 14 to 16 at the Botanical Gardens in Paget, the show will celebrate agriculture, horticulture and animal husbandry under this year’s “Homegrown” theme.

This will be the first Ag Show in two years, after the Bermuda Government cancelled the 2015 edition for financial reasons.

“We tried to keep it going last year but it just wasn’t possible,” Mr Lopes, a former ZBM radio host, said.

After the complications, the Government entered into a public-private partnership with registered charity Ag Show Limited, allowing it to host the show.

Mr Lopes, a farmer who serves as the ASL chairman, said that preparations for the 2016 event were “in the home stretch”.

“This is all new to us and it’s quite a challenge,” he added. “Every day, when you think you’ve got everything straight, another challenge pops up.

“But we expected that and we’re prepared for it, plus we’ve had an awful lot of support from the community.”

At the Hamilton Rotary Club on Tuesday, Mr Lopes detailed the show’s rich history.

Its roots extend back as far as 1843, when then-Governor Major General Sir William Reid encouraged the adoption of agriculture on the island, where principal occupations included shipbuilding and seafaring.

“The Governor organised an agricultural exhibition with ploughing matches at Mount Langton and the whole colony became interested in farming,” he told Rotarians.

Mr Lopes has a long affiliation with the show, where he first exhibited rabbits in 1955, before progressing to goats, poultry and cattle.

He is keen that this year’s event, which already has 2,500 participants and exhibitors confirmed, maintains the traditional charm of years gone by.

Entrants will compete in a broad range of categories including horses, pigs, rabbits, fruit, vegetables, roses, orchids and woodcraft.

About 2,000 pictures have been entered for the junior art competition and there will be an emphasis on local entertainment.

“The Ag Show is probably the biggest cultural event in Bermuda and welcomes people of all ages and from all walks of life,” Mr Lopes said. “It is not an option — we must keep this show going.”

Entry will cost $10 for adults, $5 for children under 16 and senior citizens, and nothing for children under 6.

• For full details and to see the show’s 74-page PDF catalogue, visit www.theagshowbda.com