By Raquel Mustillo
ORGANISERS of Millicent’s 150th celebration hope to secure award-winning country music star Kasey Chambers to perform at the November anniversary event.
Wattle Range Council has released its proposed three-day schedule of events to mark the town’s sesquicentennial, including a live music concert featuring an “an ex-Millicent High School student, with family roots in Southend”.
Council’s development services director Emma Clay confirmed organisers have had preliminary discussions with the singer and agent to discuss the possibility of a paid, ticketed event on November 19.
The proposed event, which will be considered by elected members at next Tuesday’s meeting, will start with a special performance by the Limestone Coast Orchestra and the Wattle Range Art Exhibition opening.
The celebrations will continue on November 20 with an amazing race-style charity event for the Wattle Range Suicide Prevention Group, opening the town’s time capsule and launching a book of the 150 stories about Millicent that have been supplied by current and former residents
The Domain will come alive with a longest table lunch scheduled to celebrate local produce and will be followed by a twilight market with food and wine, products, arts and crafts and music.
Saturday’s events will culminate with the George Glass Art Attack event, which incorporates live music and audience participation to create a large mural themed on the 150th celebration.
On Sunday, the Millicent National Trust Museum will host its free annual open day with horse and cart rides, blacksmithing workshops and vintage cars on display.
A family treasure hunt will run over the three days and take participants to different history points of Millicent, with prizes on offer for children who have been to every location.
The estimated cost of the weekend is currently $20,000, with council requiring a $15,000 budget variation to progress the plans.
At council’s June meeting, elected members resolved staff explore options for the celebration for a budget amount of up to $20,000.
It followed the removal of $10,000 from the 2021/22 budget to secure the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra for the event, which was initially planned for last year’s cancelled 150-year celebrations.
In a staff report to council, Ms Clay said staff had liased with the orchestra about the possibility of timing a visit with this year’s celebration, but the activity was “outside the proposed budget, leaving no funds for any other activities.”
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