THE Eaglehawk community is getting ready for its fifty-first annual Dahlia and Arts Festival and there is a lot on the program to get excited about.<\/p>\n
Over the three-day festival, there will be a range of art on display, as well as art and writing competitions, and family friendly events like the Eaglehawk UFS Gala Parade, and a free film screening at Star Cinema.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe best way to enjoy the Saturday, is everything\u2019s going to open up at 10.30am with a smoking ceremony and a welcome at the town hall,\u201d said festival convenor Reece Hendy.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve got some roving entertainment out on the street beforehand with a mermaid looking for a home somewhere in Eaglehawk.<\/p>\n
\u201cFrom there, you\u2019ve got about two or three hours to kind of walk around and explore Eaglehawk with an art exhibition, the dahlia show; there\u2019s a multicultural festival at the front of the park.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mr Hendy said he grew up in Eaglehawk and witnessed many Dahlia and Arts Festivals.<\/p>\n
In recent years, he said he has noticed what seems to be a resurgence in the popularity of gardening and flower growing.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt started off as being about dahlias and it\u2019s shifted away from that over time,\u201d Mr Hendy said. \u201cIt\u2019s had other areas of focus like the parade and other things.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut it\u2019s funny how it\u2019s come full circle on the dahlias, they\u2019re a drawcard again.\u201d<\/p>\n