Woombye’s celebration of community spirit: Happy Days rocks!
The Blues Brothers proved to be a hit at the Festival. Images by Ray Cash: raycashphotography.com
Q&A with WCBA president Milo Frawley
From meticulous planning to heart-warming highlights, Woombye Community & Business Association President Milo Frawley reflects on the triumph of this year’s Happy Days Festival. Mr Frawley urges the community to mark their calendars for next year’s Festival.
How would you describe the overall success of this year’s Festival and how does it bode for future events?
There is no doubt we 'pulled it off' and this day was a success. But our measurement of success is based more in smiling faces and less in size of crowd or dollars and cents. Our committee, with the support of the community, are full steam ahead for next year and many years to come. We want to build this day so that it becomes the jewel in the crown of Woombye's calendar.
Can you provide insights into the attendance numbers and community engagement throughout the festival?
Unfortunately, we do not have an official count. Crowds come and go and there was no admission fee for daytime activities. A wild guess might be 800-1000 for the entire day? Many activities were popular. Our face-painter worked without break for five solid hours and never had less than five kids in the queue. The petting zoo were at their max-capacity for their four allocated hours. The dance floor was well used with a steady stream of dancers. The community seemed to embrace the day and smiles and laughter were plenty.
What were some key takeaways or lessons learned from organising the festival this year that could be applied to future events?
A long lead-in time is essential for organizing such a festival. We started working on the festival late October. Back then it was mostly permit applications, contacting vendors, and seeking sponsorship and grants. By early 2024, we were contacting specific vendors, working on market stalls and classic car entries, and liaising with local businesses. In the final 8 weeks we were busy with social media ads, volunteer recruitment, and purchasing equipment and supplies. The final lead-up days saw us scrambling to address some last minute cancellations, coordinating arrival and departure times of vendors, as well as the finesse of finishing touches.
From your perspective, what was the standout aspect or highlight of this year's festival?
There were many standouts. The live music, the pop-up bar, the primary school art competition to name a few. But I was most impressed with the success of the Kids Zone. Through generous donation we were able to supply all activities for a gold coin donation or free. The Kids Zone was jammin' all day and the laughter and smiles were heartwarming. Beyond that, I was delighted with the enthusiasm of our 28 local sponsors and particularly the vision of Bendigo Bank Woombye.
What message would you like to convey to the volunteers and sponsors?
Volunteers were core to our wonderful outcome and I want them to know how important their efforts were to producing the successful festival that we did. Likewise, sponsorship is essential to create a festival from scratch. Sponsors gave to the community from their hearts knowing they would not see a dollar for dollar return on their donation. They just wanted the town to have its day of glory and pride. Please support our local businesses because our local businesses support us!
What else would you like to say?
Thank you Woombye! We will be back on the 4th of May 2025 and doing it all again. I believe next year will be bigger and better and I encourage everyone to mark their calendars now! Participants from this year (vendors or the general public) are encouraged to email the WCBA to offer suggestions or share ideas on what we can do better or maybe even avoid in 2025.
• Email woombyecommunity@gmail.com.
