TOUTED as the biggest free event of its kind in Europe, at the peak of its popularity the St Helens Show regularly crammed more than half a million visitors into Sherdley Park.
These stunning stats often sparked splutterings of disbelief, yet anyone wading through the sea of showgoers would have scoffed at the doubters as the slowmo tide of showgoers flowed between attractions or battled through the hungry hordes munching on burgers, hot dogs and candy floss en route for Silcocks’ funfair.
It wasn’t just St Helens folks rolling up. Families from right across the region made an annual beeline for the three day funfest. Some unchivalrous local souls often dubbed it “a free day out for Scousers”.
The council team who organised the event was headed by the ever urbane Ray Wright backed up by his deputy the irrepressible Jenny Lloyd, who later took over the reins and steered the annual carnival to new heights.
The show’s success was very much down to its action-rich programme with everything from daredevil aerial displays and motorbike stunt riders to army assault courses, concerts and prize pets. The firework extravaganza always brought the show curtain down with a bang.
The show had been running in various formats since the 1940s and it didn’t take too long for the team at your infant Star to grasp its potential to raise the Star’s profile to townsfolk and advertisers.
And boy did that work! Spearheading the Star’s Show jewel in those early years was our Mother and Baby contest, which at its zenith was pulling in almost 1,000 entrants each year.
We were convinced some mums were bringing new little bundles of joy into the world every 12 months... just to enter our contest.
The prizes were worth winning too. Local travel agent Tom Howard chipped in with dream overseas holidays every year.
As the deadline for M&B entries drew near there’d always be a gaggle of pushchairs stretching back up North Road to Jim and Terry Brunskills’ photo studio in the YM, where Basil Brush soothed any tears away and conjured up the requisite beaming smiles.
The more entries, the bigger our headaches. Back in those prehistoric production times, Brunskills printed out individual photos, which were then taken to our camera room to be re-shot and reduced onto sheets which were waxed and placed on glass tables to be individually cut to size with surgical scalpels and stuck by hand onto pages before going to press. Phew!
Frank Martin and I became so proficient with the blades, once our news gathering had finished, we were able to help out our production guys like Mike Shone, Ronnie Windsor and Francis Grundy cut out hundreds of the single column snaps every week.
Other Star competitions followed. Everything from Gurning to Glamorous Grans. When the Miss St Helens contest lapsed we took it over and it became St Helens Star Show Queen.
Then came the our Junior Talent contest along with Starbud and Starlad.
In the spirit of equality we put on a Mr St Helens muscleman title too.
When Sue Gerrard joined the Star as an ents writer, she also became officer-in-charge of these popular events, aided and abetted by Trudy and Zoe. An ingrained memory will always be Sue coolly balancing her running order clipboard, marker pen plus ciggie and G&T.
So many Star events soon were the highlights of the show programme that when St Helens Council conducted an ‘ exit poll’ asking “who runs St Helens Show”, more than 70 percent replied…The St Helens Star!
One of my first memories covering the show as a greenhorn reporter was sizing up to two of the hottest shots in town.
Dodge City style quickdraw contests at the show in the 70s featured the Clock Face Cowboy, Will Sharrock, a binman by day, squaring up to his arch nemesis the Man in Black, Wally Stott.
Luckily for me the six shooters were loaded with blanks when I miserably failed to get the drop on the pair.
From the earliest years, the Star’s tent became a regular magnet for guests enjoying our hospitality.
As the days wore on, I remember often having to steer them back to base.
Further down the line when Jenny Lloyd became organiser she fixed us up with a smart cabin to entertain guests, judges and take our winners back to be interviewed.
All good flings come to an end and the final St Helens Show was held in 2006.
It was replaced by a two day St Helens Festival, which attracted an average crowd of 20,000 visitors.
That folded after four years. The glory days of the Sherdley Show are now just a golden memory.
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