Stanhope is no different, with a crew of highly motivated individuals ensuring a 2022 initiative did not fall by the wayside.
The inaugural Celebrate Stanhope Food and Wine Festival was held last October and the organising committee has set an ambitious goal of repeating its extraordinary success next month.
The Sunday, October 1 event will again transform Stanhope’s usually placid Birdwood Ave into a bustling thoroughfare where people will be able to enjoy two of the finer things in life — food and wine — while contributing significantly to the financial and mental health of the town and its people.
Last year the same faces who gathered around a wine barrel for a promotional photo were responsible for not only creating the inaugural street festival, but also a couple of other initiatives that thrust the town on to the national stage.
Stanhope earned the right to host an overnight stay by the Melbourne Cup and played a role in a variety of community events that included the official opening of a large mural in the street.
Glenda Cowie, Des Hocking, Christine Dicketts and Wendy Douglas gathered outside Stanhope Cafe last week to appeal to the regional population to make Stanhope its number one priority on October 1.
“The success of last year blew our minds and we would love to have a similar response this year,” Mrs Cowie said.
She said most of the stall holders were returning for the event and the group had spent four months planning for the second instalment of the street party, which sees the street blocked off and become a pedestrian thoroughfare filled with tables, chairs and a variety of stalls.
“Our focus will again be on the food and wine. We have Shiraz Republic (Cornella Brewery, established in 2016) from Colbinabbin coming again, among several others,” Mrs Cowie said.
“And we have had some great support, including from our major sponsors Kyabram Club and Campaspe Shire, along with several others.
“We were fortunate to have our application for funds from the shire supported and we’ve put together a great program.”
The Stanhope event will again kick off successive weekends of celebrations, with a Tongala event more focused on music and food following a week later.
Stanhope will continue its theme of showcasing local products and talent, including music from No One’s Home, a duo involving Glenn Bowker and Eamonn Matthews.
“Last year we had 750 through the gate and our survey showed people came from all over the place,” Mrs Cowie said.
“It was a very busy weekend for our businesses, particularly the pizza place and cafe.”
Stanhope Men’s Shed will this year have a stall featuring its chopping boards and cheese boards, while Stanhope Cricket Club is operating the bar.
Stanhope Kindergarten is also involved in the event, while the presence of more food vans this year will offer an extended menu.
“We have everything from Filipino food to Vietnamese, Dutch, Greek, Devonshire teas and a variety of Australian treats,” Mrs Cowie said.
Stanhope Cafe’s Jenna Batty said her business would have its usual Sunday offering of a roast and was considering adding jam donuts to the menu.
“When we planned last year we hoped the festival would be ongoing, but the response to last year made this year a certainty,” she said.
The Celebrate Stanhope Food and Wine Festival will be on October 1, from 11am to 4pm.
For more information about the event, phone 0438 572 452.
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