You could be a Sponsor of the 20th Harcourt Applefest Parade

This year, on the 12th March, is the 20th Harcourt Applefest and once again the parade will be one of the centerpieces of the day.

It is great to see how inventive some of the participants can be when trying to stand out from the crowd.

This year we will be awarding prizes for : Best in Parade, Most Fun and Back to the Future

The parade committee are looking for sponsors for each of the categories to bring out the competitive streak that Harcourt is famous for, inject more fun into the day, and maybe attract some more participants.

So if you think you would like to sponsor a category, or participate in the parade, please send an email to parade@harcourt.vic.au or call Paul Mizzi on 0409 229 331.

Harcourt Applefest Raffle to be Drawn at Harcourt Australia Day Breakfast.

Don't forget to purchase your Harcourt Applefest Raffle Tickets.
The raffle will be drawn at the Harcourt and District Australia Day breakfast.
Tickets are starting to sell fast. Only 1000 tickets. $10 each. Way better odds than Tattslotto. Fantastics Prizes.

Harcourt Applefest 2011 Fund Raising Raffle. 

                          1st : $3000 Grocery Voucher from Maddern's IGA

                          2nd : $1000 Bikes from the Bike Vault

                          3rd : $650 32" LCD HD TV from Cassidy's Retravision

Tickets available at:
Maddern's IGA, Cassidy's Retravision, Bike Vault, Cocoature @ Fashion Central, Harcourt General Store, Harcourt Tavern

Results to be published in the Castlemaine Mail.

Harcourt crowns Royalty for Applefest 2011

On 23rd December 2010, Lady William and King Jonathon were crowned for the 20th Applefest to be held on Friday 11th and Saturday 12th of March, 2011. The event took place at the Harcourt Tavern's Christmas Eve Eve.

Local boy made good, George Milford, was crowned King Jonathon whilst Elizabeth Teed, owner of the Harcourt General Store was crowned Lady William.

Both are very popular choices for Royalty with a strong involvement in the local community. The Applefest Committee also thanks the outgoing Royalty, Jo and Woody, for their service over the 2010 Applefest.

Harcourt Applefest to continue......

Eleven people turned up at the Harcourt Tavern for the committee meeting (there were also a few apologies). It was great to see some new faces and new ideas on making the Applefest a continuing event.


The next meeting is on Monday 22nd November, 7:30pm at the Harcourt Tavern.


There are still some activities that need assistance so I've included the full list below:

• Applefest Parade - It would be great to get more of the local businesses to participate.
• Apple Pie Baking Competition - John Brumby is the patron of this event and the CWA may take the running.
• Apple Pie Eating Competition - Jodie Nunn is the reigning champion of this event. I wonder if we can find a man to compete. 
• Permits for road use - Applications need to be submitted up to 3 months prior to the event
• Insurances
• Fund Raising & Sponsorship. Can't start too early on this. Some work has already been done on this by a retiring committee member.
• Programmes & Leaflets. Any aspiring graphic artists and printers are welcome.
• Advertising and PR - including TV, Radio, Press & Social Media
• Harcourt Idol auditions and entries. Will this be broadcast live to the world?
• Cocktail Party after the Art Show. 
• Musical Acts for Saturday Night. 
• Market Stalls
• Food Stalls
• Liquor License
• Pet parade
• The Famous Ferret Race - Someone to help Donna and learn the ropes will be great.
• Amusement stalls
• Power Supply
• Temporary Fencing & Safety Barriers

If you want experience in, or always wanted to work in:

• Event Management
• Marketing
• Advertising 
• Public Relations
• Social Media
• TV
• Radio
• Community Consultation

Save the Harcourt Applefest

The 20th Harcourt Applefest may be cancelled.

It is due to be run in March 2011 but there are only four people left on the committee and one of them has been there for 19 years! Those who have resigned from the committee have been there for 5 or 6 years and helped to put together some of the best Harcourt Applefests over the years.

Many people are great at lending a hand on the day and during setup and pull down, and you can't run a good festival without that help. But if you want to put on something like the Harcourt Applefest then you need to start planning and organizing 5 to 6 months in advance.

The committee need you to turn up at 7:30pm on Monday 8th November at the Harcourt Tavern and take responsibility for organizing the 20th Harcourt Applefest.

These are some of the things that need to be organised months in advance:

• Applefest Parade - Schools need to be invited before they close for Christmas.
• Apple Pie Baking Competition - Premier John Brumby is the Patron. This was a significant factor in keeping the Harcourt Swimming Pool.
• Apple Pie Eating Competition - Heats start at end of January but need to be finalized before Christmas. 
• Permits for road use - Applications need to be submitted up to 3 months prior to the event
• Insurances
• Fund Raising & Sponsorship. Can't start too early on this. Some work has already been done on this by a retiring committee member.
• Programmes & Leaflets
• Advertising and PR - including TV, Radio, Press & Social Media
• Harcourt Idol auditions and entries. Have a volunteer for this but not the same without the Applefest.
• Cocktail Party after the Art Show
• Musical Acts for Saturday Night - good acts are booked out 6 months in advance.
• Market Stalls
• Food Stalls
• Liquor License
• Pet parade
• The Famous Ferret Race - need to get in their calendar
• Amusement stalls - booked out months in advance
• Power Supply
• Temporary Fencing & Safety Barriers

If you want experience in, or always wanted to work in:

• Event Management
• Marketing
• Advertising 
• Public Relations
• Social Media
• TV
• Radio
• Community Consultation

Then this is a great way to get started.

Harcourt Rally & March 10:30am Saturday 19th June, to save our Pool

Make a Splash! Rally: Saturday 19 June 11:30am Western Oval

• save our local pools
• save huge expense to ratepayers

 Saturday 19 June at 11.30am Western Oval, Castlemaine 

10.00am meet at Chewton pool to march with 

LADY GODIVA to Castlemaine 

Contact James 0438 621 169

Community Day for Harcourt

Keep your eyes peeled for the community day for Harcourt.
It will be announced soon and expect it to be around mid July.

We will try to bring together all of the groups in Harcourt with a focus on getting Harcourt mobilised.

Anyone with ideas that may contribute to the Community Day, feel free to let us know.

So will the Harcourt Pool close?

Tonight a group of about 60 people attended the council's information session at the Harcourt Leisure Centre on the proposal to develop a Mount Alexander Shire Aquatic Centre and site it at the Western Reserve in Castlemaine.

Mayor Philip Schier addressed the audience and gave an overview of the proposal and invited questions from the audience.

Amongst the concerns and views raised by members of the audience were the following:

• Council seems to be favouring the closure of the Harcourt Pool which is in opposition to Council's efforts to help redevelop the centre of Harcourt to allow economic growth post the bypass by the Calder Freeway.
• The feasibility study and comments by Mayor Philip Schier do not indicate the impact that the closure of the Harcourt pool will have on the return on investment. Instead, the Harcourt pool is lumped in with other pools, including Castlemaine pool, to try to justify the numbers in the proposal.
• Removal of the pool will endanger local children by encouraging them to swim in dams and irrigation channels.
• The cost of entry to a Castlemaine based Aquatic Centre is 2.5 times the current cost of entry to the Harcourt Pool. Combined with transport costs, this will reduce the number of opportunities that Harcourt children can afford to swim.
• If transport was available, and that is a big IF, Harcourt parents have concerns about sending children on public transport after school hours. This concern does not exist when they can walk to, or ride a pushbike to, the Harcourt pool and be in amongst their local community.
• Though the travel time from Harcourt to Castlemaine seems deemed to be inconsequential for Harcourt residents and residents of surrounding areas such as Ravenswood, Faraday and Sutton Grange, and not a detriment to using an Aquatic Centre at the Western Reserve, Harcourt was not considered as a possible location even though a site at Campbell's Creek was considered.
• The feedback form provided by the council is biased toward the closure of the Harcourt pool as it's two main propositions are YES (do you support the proposal?) or NO. The feedback form does not ask, Do you support the closure of the Harcourt pool?

Fellow Harcourt residents that I spoke to after the meeting were left with the feeling that the decision to close Harcourt pool has already been made.

I sure that others will add to this blog and add the points that I have missed. If others are not forthcoming with their support and if we cannot change the current proposal to one that will allow the Harcourt Pool to stay open, then we are missing a huge opportunity for the future of Harcourt. A future that should be able to be built upon the efforts that the community has already laboured for many years to establish.

If you are not on the mailing list for the Harcourt Pool please send an email to garryholmes@harcourt.vic.au

Heat 6 of the Apple Pie Eating held at the Harcourt Tavern last Friday night

Heat 6 of the Apple Pie Eating competition was held at the Harcourt Tavern at 7:30 last Friday night. The winner was Wayne Rice of Harcourt. Wayne took on 11 competitors, including Jonathan Ridnell and Corey Hague of ABC Central Victoria, and left them standing at the bar. Wayne has now earned the right to contest the championship in the final at 4pm on Saturday 6th March at the main stage of the Harcourt Applefest.

Make sure you get there to cheer them on.

If you did not win your heat, or just want to see if you have the guts to compete, try your luck in the heats on the day at 2pm and 3pm.

HARCOURT APPLEFEST 2010 BYPASSES THE FREEWAY WITH OPERA IN THE PARK ON MARCH LONG WEEKEND

There is something for everyone in this Applefest. Check the website at http://www.harcourtapplefest.org.au/

If you love art, then get to the Art Show on Friday 5th March.
If you want to party and you are aged 10 to 18 then get along to the iParty on Friday night.

If you love a market, then get there on the morning of Saturday 6th.
If you love a parade then get there by noon on Saturday 6th. If you want to be part of the parade then complete this form.
If you like to sing then fill in an Entry Form and come along to Harcourt Idol on Saturday afternoon.
If you love baking then catch the Pie Baking on Saturday afternoon. If you want to bake then complete this form.
If you love eating then catch the heats and final of the Apple Pie Eating on Saturday afternoon.
If you love music and Opera then buy a ticket from the website here and come along on Saturday night.

If Sunday is your day of worship then come along to the service on Sunday morning.
If you like to have fun and run then complete this form and come along on Sunday morning.
If you have pets to parade or ferrets to race, then come along on Sunday for the pet parade and ferret race.
If you like to cycle then roll along to the Bike Rally on Sunday afternoon.
And if you like to relax on a Sunday afternoon then finish your day at the Harcourt Tavern with live entertainment for all to enjoy from 2pm.

If you are part of the local community, come along to the Community Picnic in James Park.
Bring a salad or dessert to share. Spit roast and sausages provided.
BYO guitar or acoustic instrument and your voice.

 

Heat Two of the Apple Pie Eating Competition

Will be at the Crown Hotel in Newstead at 3pm on Saturday 13th February 2010
This is a great place to visit. Last year we all had a great time and stayed on for a meal.

If you have a hankering for an apple pie, make sure you get there!