Springwood’s Australia Day Festival will return bigger and better this year after joining forces with the Springwood Growers Market.
The family event will be held at Springwood Public School from 9am-4pm on Saturday, January 26. It provides a focal point for the community to come together on Australia Day as well as raise funds for local emergency service organisations including the Rural Fire Service and State Emergency Service.
“We are hoping to see about 3000 to 4000 locals and their families visit the event throughout the day. While the event is a free event, donations on entry is the principal means for raising funds,” said an event spokeswoman.
The Springwood Growers Market is relocating to the school grounds for the day allowing regular market goers to enjoy the usual range of stallholders along with a broader selection of Australia Day stalls.
This year will also see a renewed focus on activities for children, with a designated Kids’ Corner.
Besides a selection of mechanical rides, go karts and pony rides the Kids' Corner will have activities throughout the day including slime making, Lego and craft activities from local business, Build-A-Mind.
The Girl Guides will be on hand to provide face painting and one of the great local talent groups, the Zany Yare Youth Circus troupe, will roaming around the precinct.
Acclaimed Mountains author Jodie McLeod is also going to be there and will be reading from her book, Leonard the Lyrebird, a popular Australian bush animal story about friendship and bravery the connects children and their families with the Blue Mountains.
As part of the day’s fundraising efforts the local RFS brigades will be running the barbecue. There will also be a selection of other hot food stalls on hand including Indian, Turkish, Tibetan, Italian and more. A licensed bar area will also be open with three specialty companies – Hillbilly Cider, Brew Mountains Brewery and Karu Distillery – all present to offer their product for sale by the glass.
Unity Studios from Blaxland will start the main stage program at 10am with Queen Bee Kaz for a special children’s performance. The day moves on with local dance group LKM and into the afternoon with local bands Evoke, Penny Dreadful and Kaziah.
“Australia Day in Springwood is simply a day to come and spend some time in your local community,” said the spokeswoman. “Enjoy the markets, the stage program, the rides and the kid’s activities. Don’t stay home for lunch –come and have a good old sausage on a roll, or something more exotic and in doing so help support your local emergency services volunteers.”
Parking is available on the street with plenty more in the school’s car park off Burns Road.
The celebration is organised and run by a small team of local volunteers under the banner of the Lower Mountains Fundraising Events Committee.
Over the past seven years the Lower Mountains Fundraising Events committee has raised more than $50,000 for distribution back to community organisations through its efforts co-ordinating the Australia Day Festival and other fundraising events.
For more details visit: https://www.facebook.com/SpringwoodAustDayFestival
