A wonderful showcase of beautiful country gardens will be open to the public again during Crookwell Garden Festival on November 7 and 8.
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The festival's new committee said it's confident the 6th annual event will go ahead with hopes the coronavirus pandemic will be over by then.
Its members have been busy viewing the gardens nominated to open during this year's festival, which attracted 1500 people in 2019.
Chairwoman Libby Ratten said their biggest challenge was ensuring the garden showcase justified repeat visitors making the trip to Crookwell and surrounds while providing interest points for new visitors eager to discover the region.
"We will be relying on support from Upper Lachlan Shire's Visitor Information Centre and drawing on the proven skills of Brian Faulkner and Jo Manson who have both done an outstanding job in helping develop Crookwell Garden Festival into what is now a major event in the region," she said.
"As a committee, we will be focusing strongly on further developing Crookwell on the map. We are very conscious that the challenge is in the face of a major health issue and will be monitoring this closely to ensure that we are in a position to deliver subject to NSW Health advice at the relevant time.
"We are adopting a very proactive and positive approach to ensure we are as they say, 'shovel-ready'."
The popular Crookwell Garden Festival Market will go ahead again on Saturday morning and the committee is coming up with other elements to attract visitors.
"The past five years have seen the concept of the Crookwell Garden Festival establish and hats off to the extraordinary energy and founding zeal of Jan Pont, Marg Anderson and Lorna Vallely who led the way and delivered this amazing outcome. Pioneering any community event is never easy and the founders delivered in spade fulls," Mrs Ratten said.
"As the incoming new committee, our role is to build on the success of our fore-bearers and to add opportunities by way of the gardens to be shown."
The new committee is also comprised of Deirdre McLoughlin, Geoff Palmer, Michael McCormack, Ray Jackson, Louise Gibbs, Annette Hill, Colleen Pratten and Ian McFaul.
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