The 2016 fun- filled Mangrove Mountain and Districts Country Fair will be held on Saturday, October 29, from 10am to 4pm.
The venue for the fair will be the corner of Wisemans Ferry Rd and Waratah Rd, Mangrove Mountain. The fair began in 1963 as a community fundraiser, when locals in the mountain district needed to find funding for a bush nurse. The bush nurse has long gone, but this extremely popular event has continued as a family fun day and fundraiser for local community groups from the Mangrove Mountains district. The event is a real, old fashioned country fair, with sheep shearing, spinners, weavers, steam-powered machinery, lots of farm animals to see, pet and feed, native reptiles to touch and learn about, as well as old-fashioned homemade jams, preserves and scones to enjoy.
The Fair goes out of its way to be a great day for children of all ages with pony rides, mini jeep rides and loads of other rides and activities. Other attractions include delicious food, plants, fl owers, organic market stall, arts and crafts, photography, fl oral displays, gifts, chocolate wheel, fantastic raffl es and much more. Those who are arty, or crafty, may wish to enter the Adults’ or Children’s art or crafts competitions that have art, crafts, cooking, invention, fl owers, photography and produce categories to choose from. This year’s Contemporary Art theme is Que Sera Sera. Entry information for all the arts and crafts competitions are available on the Country Fair’s website and Facebook pages. The wild and whacky Mountain Mayhem Billy Cart Derby will be held all morning with racing underway around 9:30am.
The Mountain Mayhem Billy Cart Derby was such a success in 2015 that the 2016 Derby is expected to attract many more entries, from traditional wooden billy carts through to clever, outlandish creations. For others, whose idea of fun is to relax under some trees, eat and drink delicious treats, listen to great music, then this year’s Fair also aims to please, with three stages of live entertainment – from acoustic singers and musicians to country music favourites, from ukuleles to Zumba displays. There will be Dark Ages sword fi ghts, muscle cars, motor bikes and tractors, vintage machinery and farm equipment, and even Clydesdale horses. Entry is free and there’s more information at countryfair.mangrovemountain.net or facebook.
Media release, Oct 17, 2016 Shane Eastman, Mangrove Mountain Country Fair