Thirteen-year-olds Tess Hazzard and Elle Johnson wouldn't have chosen to be anywhere else on Saturday, having spent several hours at the show on Saturday morning.

It was the "third or fourth" year in a row the friends had come along to the show together, and they'd come away with big spoils - two showbags each, with one going home to family.

VIDEO: The grand parade at the 147^th Orange Show ...

The pair were most taken by the dropper of the rides.

"It's like the highest, I had a huge adrenaline rush," Elle said.

She didn't scream, but didn't hesitate to mention that Tess did, and gave her a bit of lip about it afterwards. .

"Yeah, of course, I had to pay for her to go on it, otherwise she wouldn't go."

In his remarks while officially opening the 147^th Orange Show after the grand parade, member for Calare Andrew Gee said shows "are the best things about living in the country".

"It's the one day where city and country come together and it's about telling people about the latest developments in agriculture and it's a great community event," he said.

"Agriculture has been one of the bedrocks of our economy and we need to support it and the best way to do that is through country shows."

He thanked all involved in setting up the show, in particular Peter Naylor and his committee, but specifically thanked the "young folk" who'd helped in setting up, volunteering and judging for different aspects of the show.

"It's about bringing on the next generation of country leaders, it's important to country people to keep those young folk coming through," Mr Gee said.

Annie Hazelton was declared winner of the showgirl competition, and was awarded the sash by 2018 showgirl Heidi Knight.

Despite rain on Friday night, the skies had cleared by Saturday to leave few clouds in the sky, but a cold morning and freezing breeze meant conditions were still chilly.