It was another top turnout at the recent Kilsyth Festival. The weather did its best to put people off from attending, with heat wave conditions leading up to the event followed by steady light drizzle on the day. But this didn’t deter locals and visitors from farther afield coming along to enjoy what the event had to offer.
It was the Festival’s 10th birthday. The party was again held at Elizabeth Bridge Reserve which looked like a picture. Umbrellas were the order of the day early on (even Mr Chelodina Turtle needed one!), but things really took off as conditions eased.
An outstanding stage program full of local talent kept everyone entertained, with singing, dance, drumming, and the fabulous Ruccis circus. Animal friends weren’t forgotten either. The children were engrossed with the reptile display, turtles, and a dog obedience demonstration.
Once again the garden at Japara Bridge was looking superb. It played host to a series of games and craft exercises for the younger patrons. And all the while tasty food offerings were very popular.
A special highlight of the event was the cutting of the birthday cake by Des Cox, one of the founding organisers, who told the story of how the Festival began. Of course, the onlookers all received a piece of cake. Later on, Santa arrived in a Montrose CFA truck and quickly drew a huge audience of youngsters.
Organiser Mike O’Meara said his team was particularly impressed by the number of young families enjoying the record number of craft and information stalls and activities on show.
“We weren’t sure how things would go given the weather conditions, but the turnout and vibe confirms our event has become ‘a Kilsyth thing’,” he said.
The organising group worked very hard to put on the event, so Mr O’Meara said it was gratifying to see that so many appreciated the effort.
He paid special tribute to the cadets from the 31 Army Cadet Unit based in East Ringwood.
“These young people gave their time voluntarily to help us out and did themselves, and us, proud,” he said.
