A little bit of history
The Agricultural Hall was built in 1896 and 1898 is the recognised inaugural function of the Horticultural Society. The townsite of Kalamunda was officially proclaimed in 1901 and thereafter the Agricultural Group became known as the “Kalamunda Show”. Originally the Agricultural Society owned the Agricultural Hall and the Grounds (now Kostera Oval). In 1922 the Agricultural Society found they could not finance the upkeep of the Hall and grounds and the decision was made to hand the Hall and grounds to the Darling Range Road Board. The Show, especially in the earlier years, was the major event held within the Shire and became the ideal opportunity for the community to meet. A highlight of earlier Shows was the Show Ball held on the Saturday night after the Show and held in the Agricultural Hall.
Subsequently there were a few minor name changes until 1961 when the current name ‘Kalamunda and Districts Agricultural Society’ became the permanent name. In 1975, due to declining membership, the Society entered into a five year contract with the Lions Club of Kalamunda to run the Annual Show co-jointly. This arrangement became permanent in 1980 and an amicable financial arrangement for running the Annual Show was reached between the two groups. This arrangement was still in place until 2014 when the Lions Club of Kalamunda resigned from the partnership. The Show is now entirely organised by the Agricultural Society. In recent years, the Show has shown a resurgence amongst the community with strong attendances and attracts many visitors from outside the district. The dates for the Show have changed many times since its inception and have ranged from very early in the year to later in the year. The dates are now early to late April and are flexible depending when Easter falls.