BOONAH'S Clydesdale Spectacular has received a $10,000 Regional Events Program grant from Scenic Rim Regional Council for this weekend's show.
The event to be held at Boonah Showgrounds on June 11 and 12 celebrates the history and heritage of the Clydesdale horse, which was used by pioneering Scottish and German families to transform the Scenic Rim's bushland into a leading agricultural area.
Event organiser Greta Stanfield said the funds would be used for things like traffic management, safety strategies and signage.
"It will help with so many different things," she said.
"We will put it back into the event and use it to provide a better experience ... for this year as well as next year.
"The event has grown every year. We had to cancel in 2020 due to COVID but between 2019 and 2021 we saw the biggest jump in numbers.
"This year we are expecting 10,000 visitors.
"We've got a lot of people coming from Victoria and NSW and Western Australia.
"It's a nationally recognised event now."
Ms Stanfield said there would be even more attractions at the 2022 Clydesdale Spectacular.
"We've got lots of the same things as last year and a few new additions.
"We'll have whip cracking, billy boiling and wood chopping.
"Also a whip plaiter artisan cooper and wheelwright, the list is long."
Mayor Greg Christensen said council's support of the Scenic Rim Clydesdale Spectacular represented an excellent return on investment for the region, with this year's event expected to add more than $3.06 million to the local economy.
"This is an event that attracts competitors, participants and spectators from around Australia, as well as overseas, and attendance has grown exponentially since its establishment in 2013," he said.
Cr Christensen said the big horses shared a rich history with the Fassifern region.
"The Clydesdales cleared vast tracts of land and were vital to farmers in ploughing, planting and harvesting, playing a pivotal role in the establishment of the region's agriculture sector," he said.
When the heavy horses were replaced by machinery, the Australian Clydesdale breed declined in the 1960s but was revived in the Scenic Rim.
Ms Stanfield said the grounds were looking good for the upcoming event, despite recent flooding across the region.
"It's dried out beautifully and the weather is looking picture perfect with clear blue skies and a typical Queensland winter with fresh mornings and evenings but lovely throughout the day," she said.
The Scenic Rim Clydesdale Spectacular runs from 8am to 5pm at Boonah Showgrounds, 8 Melbourne Street, Boonah.
Tickets still available from clydesdalespectacular.com.au
Day passes are $15 for adults and $25 for both days. Children's day passes $5 per day and those under the age of four get in free.
