THE Jamieson Autumn Festival committee has welcomed on board this year the ANZ Bank as its major sponsor.
For 2020, the ANZ Bank is sponsoring the festival with a generous donation that will be used directly for drought and bushfire recovery.
The Autumn Festival was conjured up by three Jamieson locals back in 2014 and is now in its 7th year.
Despite being a free festival, or maybe because it’s a free festival, it’s been growing in stature each year as a day of fun and diversity for the entire family.
Fun because there’s so much to do, and marvel at, along the length of Perkins Street right down to the banks of the Jamieson river.
Diverse because it typically has about a dozen musical acts, all sorts of old and new artisan skills (blacksmithing, honey production, fine arts, chocolate making, whip-cracking, baking, etc) not to mention the parades of wacky vehicles.
The Festival goes to great lengths to encourage stallholders to demonstrate their skills rather than just display them or sell them.
The fun gets to a new wacky level with the uniquely Jamieson Gold Nugget Throw, Cow Poo Lotto and the hilarious Hay Bale Race.
Those people in Jamieson know how to have a good time, and their community spirit is infectious to visitors.
Apologies for using the word ‘infectious’ in the current climate - oops, and for using the word ‘climate’ as well.
But for 2020, the fun of the Festival has a much more serious undercurrent.
The organisers are trying to minimise their festival expenses and maximise their revenue from stalls, competitions and raffles.
Why?
So that all that revenue can be channelled to help our near-neighbours in the Victorian High Country get back on their feet after a horrendous spring-summer of drought, fire and then flood.
Meanwhile, the Mansfield Shire is sponsoring most of the promotional material associated with the festival.
Other Mansfield businesses (Yenckens, Marks IGA and the Stihl Shop) are also contributing by way of vouchers and raffle prizes.
Adding to the spirit of ‘helping thy neighbour’ will be the musicians and artisans who donate their time and talent while food and alcohol stallholder fees will all be donated to the cause.
It is hoping the funds raised at the festival will make a difference to a few households who have had a very miserable summer.
So, come along to enjoy the day.
Bring the family to enjoy the range of kids’ activities inside and outside the tennis court.
Pop over to the Church Paddock to participate in the unique Gold Nugget Throw and the hilarious Hay Bale Race.
I won’t try to explain the Cow Poo Lotto, but suffice it to say that the cows will also be doing their bit to help a few Victorians get their lives back to something resembling normality.
All donations will be channelled through Mansfield’s own Charlotte’s Drought Journey and through Blaze-Aid’s Corryong operation.
