Homegrown Parkes Kicks Off in Style
Homegrown Parkes Kicks Off in Style
Homegrown Parkes evolved in response to the need in the community for more connection to what is grown and produced locally.
Community Participation -
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The issue
It had became obvious that there was need for a community event to connect people, educate families and share local and regional produced food and products.
We realised that after the pandemic, the community had a real need to come together, learn from others, appreciate what we can produce and develop locally.
Small local producers needed an opportunity to take the first....or second step in sharing their products in a supportive, community environment.
The solution
A group of like minded people came together to discuss the possibility of a 'homegrown' market with a goal of educating, sharing and developing opportunities for local people.
The opportunity to partner with Parkes Community Arts and Parkes Shire Council to deliver this event was an extremely successful partnership.
Arts and Culture merged seamlessly with the homegrown intent and this event evolved to develop a rich, free event for the community.
We were fortunate to welcome celebrity gardener Costa Georgiadis as our special guest. His involvement provided much excitement and engagement for our first event.
The impact
We were overwhelmed with positive feedback from the event, which included an art exhibition, free activities for children, over 40 stallholders and food vendors, entertainment and a bus trip to a local garden.
We are now planning for a second event in October 2023 with a focus on providing demonstrations and similar format to the previous event.
Learnings
Special guest, Costa Georgiadis was an absolute hit with everyone.
The goal for our next event is to provide more educational opportunities and demonstrations.
We will still be encouraging more local stallholders and food vendors to be involved.
Key facts
- There was a community need for a homegrown event.
- Partnership to deliver community events is key to providing a diverse and well run event.