Ararat festival leaders: we need more ‘locals’
Organisers of Ararat’s Jailhouse Rock Festival have appealed for greater community engagement in the annual event as they start preparing for next year’s celebration.
Festival director Sandra Walker said last weekend’s three-day extravaganza at Alexandra Oval had been a success, attracting a crowd of about 1500, but needed greater support from Ararat and district people.
“We’ve already starting planning for next year but we really do need more locals to get involved,” she said.
“The key message is that we need Ararat community to support this annual festival and embrace the changes we have been forced to make.
“We’ve had to make them due to circumstances out of our control, but what we have discovered is that the changes all worked really well.”
Mrs Walker said redevelopment of Ararat Town Hall precinct had forced the committee to limit festival activities, which celebrate the rock ‘n’ roll culture of the 1950s and ’60s, to Alexandra Oval.
She added the move had attracted criticism from Ararat people used to Ararat’s Barkly Street and main shopping centre being a primary part of Saturday activities.
“It is going to be the same next year, but we’ve made the most of an awkward circumstance and it works,” she said.
“Next year we’re looking at Saturday activities at Alexandra Oval to have more of a carnival atmosphere. The idea is to have more entertainment for children and to really entice the locals to come along.
“The carnival atmosphere will fit in with the theme for 2018, which we can’t reveal just yet.
“We were disappointed in the turn-out from the locals but visitor numbers were again well up.
“While numbers for dances were down because we didn’t have a dance competition because we didn’t have a town hall, we had a larger display of vehicles and the best Saturday cruise of classic vehicles for many years.”
Mrs Walker said a committee of a half a dozen people organised the event and there were limited numbers of volunteers who put up their hand to help.
“We are really looking for new people to come along and get on board,” she said. “We really do need to keep it alive.”
Mrs Walker said organisers were keen to build the festival, now in its 24th year, to a point of again attracting more than 3000 people to three days of activities and events.
“It is not only about the celebration of an era and having a weekend of entertainment – it’s also a huge economic boost to the town,” she said. “It brings megabucks into Ararat that otherwise wouldn’t be there.”
The festival, which started with an official launch on Thursday and finished with a Sunday Rock Extravaganza, featured high-profile rock ‘n’ roll bands, dancing, hot-rod vehicles, a fashion parade and various other activities and attractions.
Mrs Walker said the event would not have been possible without the strong support from sponsors and district businesses.