It was wet and rainy, but that couldn't wipe the smile off the competitor's faces.
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In fact, most were just glad to be back on the show circuit after such a long hiatus - thanks to COVID-19.
The junior cattle, cattle clinic, dairy goats, dogs and produce sections went ahead without any spectators - and the donkey judging returned after a long absence.
Even though it was a closed event, mother nature made sure the committee still had some challenges.
The deluge flooded the dog arena and forced all of the pooches to compete on drier ground outside the show office.
The dairy goats, which apparently dislike the rain, had to be moved undercover in the cattle pavilion.
The donkeys also had to find a drier spot.
The rodeo, which had been scheduled for the Friday night with a small crowd, had to be cancelled after the rain flooded the arena.
But nobody was game to complain about the rain - after all, it wasn't that long ago the paddocks around Maitland were barren.
"It was just too wet to get the truck in for the rodeo - the truck was quite heavy with those big bulls and horses and it was too slippery for them in the arena, so we were forced to postpone it," Maitland Showground manager Brett Gleeson said.
"It was a great event otherwise and we had strong numbers in all of the sections.
"We had a slightly bigger turnout for the dogs this year, and I think that's a reflection of other shows being cancelled."
Mr Gleeson reignited the donkey section this year in a bid to bring something different to the show. He reached out to Donkey Welfare With Heart founder Christine Berry for help and was amazed by the response.
He hopes to make donkey classes a regular section at the show in the future.
"The judge stood out in the rain for four or five hours judging the donkeys, and despite that everybody had a good time," Mr Gleeson said.
"The donkeys were judged on their confirmation and the utility of the animal. Some had saddles on, some had harnesses on as well. The other part was around a novelty obstacle course."
The horse section had to be postponed due to the extent of COVID-19 regulations, but it will be back later in the year.
Pandemic gardeners were out in force at the produce competition and left organisers searching for more tables to display all of the entries.
It was a far cry from the usual produce display, which normally took up a few tables at best.
There was a bit of everything - from tomatoes to pumpkins, herbs, eggs, watermelons and onions.
"There were 40 individual entrants and it blew me away," produce chief steward Amorelle Dempster, who took the reins of the competition this year, said.
The Champion Produce Exhibit went to Graham Smart, the Most Successful Exhibitor in Produce Section was Jacqui Purcell, the largest pumpkin went to Tim Baitch and the largest watermelon to Archie Slade.
"There were so many children who entered and won prizes and were so excited to bring their produce in," Ms Dempster said.
"Since COVID there are lots of people growing stuff and lots of people have said to me since that they've got stuff growing and they could enter something. I think we will double the entries when we run it again.
"It's so exciting that growing food in Maitland is a normal thing now."
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Belinda-Jane Davis
Passionate about community news
Passionate about community news
