The Wanaka A&P Show is one of those long-standing dates around which people have planned their year since 1934.
For about 75 years, the Alexandra and Districts Pipe Band has led the grand parade at the show.
Millers Flat piper Ken Bain has driven every Tuesday to Alexandra for band practice for the past 20 years, something he makes light of.
"There are others who come from Cromwell and Oturehua, too," he said.
He was far from the longest-serving band member. Some had been there close to 50 years, Mr Bain said.
For each of his 20 years with the band, Mr Bain had gone with it to the Wanaka A&P Show, where he also showed his sheep, before he retired.
Members of the Queenstown and Southern Lakes Pipe Band join the Alexandra band at the show each year.
Both bands wear the Southern Lakes tartan designed by Shona Johnstone, of Wanaka.
Mrs Johnstone donated kilts in her tartan to the Queenstown and Southern Lakes band in 2018. Two years later, when the Alexandra and Districts band needed an update Mrs Johnstone’s family donated kilts to it, too.
It was an extremely generous gift as each kilt cost around $1400, Mr Bain said.
He started playing the bagpipes while at school. In 1954 his parents arranged for neighbour Arthur Frame to bring a set of pipes back from Scotland for the young piper.
While he had no idea what his parents had paid for them then, they had proved a good investment as he was still playing them. Now they were worth around $9000, he said.
When he turned 60 he began lessons with Roxburgh piper Alistair Forbes.
"I was his first student. His next was Sam Darling. He went from an old student to a young one."
Initially Mr Bain and Mr Forbes both attended band practice, but in recent years Mr Bain was the only one to continue with the band.
"I’m not a good piper but I love it."
The Wanaka A&P Show always coincided with the national pipe band competitions. Four years ago the Alexandra band split. The "A-team", including Mr Bain, headed to Wanaka and the other competed in the nationals in Invercargill.
They were not a competitive band now. However, some members were also in the Hokonui Celtic Pipe Band, which did compete, he said.
