Members of the Parkes Showground Land Manager committee with Mayor Ken Keith (3rd left), Sam Farraway MLC (4th left) and Minister for Lands and Water Kevin Anderson (right) at the announcement of additional funding last Thursday.

Additional funding of over $2 million announced last week will ensure the new pavilion at the Parkes Showgrounds will be constructed after a massive escalation in building costs hampered the realisation of the project.

The additional funding from the NSW Government’s Crown Lands Improvement Fund would ensure the completion of the new pavilion along with key fire safety upgrades.

Minister for Lands and Water Kevin Anderson said: “Of the $2.1 million, $1.78 million is being allocated to the next stages of the new pavilion that is being constructed at Parkes Showground as well as a further $382,000 for fire safety upgrades to benefit other buildings.”

“The additional funding will ensure the showground plays a central role within the community by hosting the annual show and events like the Parkes Elvis Festival, farmers’ markets and supporting emergency evacuations if needed.”

Sam Farraway MLC said the NSW Government’s showground stimulus funding had supported a complete overhaul of the Parkes Showground.

“Showgrounds are the heart of local communities, they are where we come together to showcase and celebrate the local region and through the Crown Reserves Improvement fund Parkes Showground has received a complete overhaul,” he said.

“This funding is also supporting the upgrades to the heritage-listed grandstand including its roof, floor, drainage, subfloor ventilation, masonry walls, and timber columns and balustrades along with improvements to lighting and additional power points for camping and stall holders.”

The Parkes Showground Land Manager received a grant of $4,046,020 from the COVID-19 showground stimulus program in August last year to realise its dream of a new pavilion. The escalation of building costs during the pandemic meant the initial grant was not enough to complete the new pavilion.

Sam and Kevin were in Parkes last week during the Elvis Festival to make the announcement, and attended the official opening of the event on Saturday in Cooke Park.

Elvis and Priscilla… Feature artist Taylor Rodriguez with Ashleigh Smith at The Dish.

Ashleigh Smith has not only brought back the Miss Priscilla title to Parkes but she is the first winner to have won the title two times.

Born and bred in Parkes, Ashleigh first entered and won in 2015 when she was 19 years old.

She was persuaded by her partner to enter again this year, and with the help of her stylist and sister-in-law Kaylee Smith she shot to fame on Thursday night.

The 26-year-old beautician said growing up in Parkes she always went to the festival with her parents. “When I won the first time it was amazing and something so different. It was a great experience!”

She said entering for a second time was much easier as she knew where to stand, and what to do and to say.

She spent about four hours on her hair and make-up before the competition. “Getting my hair right was the hardest as you have to get the Priscilla look. It was a lot harder than expected.”

She also made sure to do some research on Priscilla by watching videos of her and reading up on her style. “I wanted to match the 1960s style, her hair, bag, shoes, the whole package. She is very elegant and I really love her vintage style. She is such a beautiful woman. I also love her make up back then. It was more minimal and natural.”

Ashleigh felt it was really important to recognise Priscilla’s role in Elvis’s life and that it was good to have the competition as part of the festival. She enjoyed seeing so many Priscillas at the Parkes Elvis Festival every year.

She hoped to meet a lot of people at the festival and in the community during her reign.

Parkes Taxis had a huge week transporting many Parkes Elvis Festival guest artists and then veterans on Anzac Day. Sarah and Ben Smith and Bruce Cowling (right) from Parkes Taxis with veterans Gordon Dickson, Graeme Cooke and Arthur Parker.

Parkes Taxis are very excited to be launching a new system to keep up with the times. We are rolling out our new EASY call system today to make booking your taxi even easier!

By calling (02) 6862 2222 you will be given two options using your last two pick up locations of transport. It is very clear and easy; the booking will go straight to the cars. If you feel more comfortable with the current system there is nothing to worry about as you will still have an option to press 0 to speak to our call centre based in Orange.

Parkes Taxis are continuously improving their service for the benefit of their customers. We also have taxi butlers and tablets in many supermarkets, hotels, motels and clubs in Parkes. Please ask the staff to press the taxi butler or tablet and it will track your booked taxi and tell you when it is arriving.

Parkes taxis continues to run a 24-hour service, seven days a week. Parkes Taxis can offer many options of transport. Our amazing staff are trained in transporting wheelchair passengers to ensure it is always possible for families and friends to be together at any location. If you would like to book the wheelchair taxi or make a booking for the 12-seater bus, please get in contact with Sarah on 0407 513 848.

We have various options of using our services. The Parkes Taxi app, called smartHAIL, allows you to scan the QR code and download the app, or call our state-wide number on 131 008 for making booking your taxi that easy.

Parkes Taxis would like to thank the community and Parkes Shire Council for their support during the Parkes Elvis Festival. “We were very proud and honoured to end a hectic week by participating in the Anzac march on Monday helping to transport veterans. We appreciate all your support,” said Sarah Smith.

Ben and Sarah Smith pictured with Elvis Tribute Artist Dean Vegas.

The Parkes Elvis Festival cannot happen without them and this year the group of volunteers once again did a magnificent job ensuring the multitude of events ran smoothly and keeping the thousands of visitors happy. They volunteers were thanked for their hard work by Mayor Ken Keith, and the festival’s Tiffany Steel and Cathy Treasure.

Parkes photographers Steve Ostini and Barry Green with their winning photographs in the Elvis Photography Competi-tion. The exhibition will be open for viewing at the Coventry Room until 5th May.

Thousands of photos are taken at every Parkes Elvis Festival to capture the colour, fun and vibe, but most of all the good times and memories.

Parkes Camera Club member Steve Ostini took the winning photograph of this year’s Elvis Photography Competition and Exhibition with his image called ‘The Bass Dean – a photo he took at the 2020 festival of Californian Elvis Tribute Artist Dean Z with the TIC band’s bass player. Steve also won the Digital Camera Portrait category with a photo he took of the Parkes Shire Mayor and Miss Priscilla 2020.

Another Parkes photographer Barry Green won the Overall Highly Commended category with an image of Dean Z’s concert.

The annual competition is a great way for festival fans to share their favourite images and this year 182 entries were received from the ACT, NSW, Victoria, Tasmania and Queensland. The three judges had a hard time judging each photo against criteria that included the technical aspects of the photograph, the visual and aesthetic content as well as its originality, style and context.

The other winners were:Smartphone Winner – Shadow of Elvis by Phillipa Kelly; runner Up – Bowls Anyone? By Scott McAleer; Digital Camera Colour winner – Workin’ It by Terina Vale; Digital Camera Black & White – Love Me Tender by Richard Bartlett.

The Class of ’71 at Parkes High School.

Remember the days in the old school yard? Well, that’s exactly what a group of people did when they got together recently for a school reunion in Parkes.

Students who finished Year 10 at Parkes High School in 1969 and Year 12 in 1971, gathered to reconnect, celebrate and reminisce at a dinner held at Gracelands, formally the student hostel. On display were all editions of the Currajong (school magazine) for the years 1966-1971 along with a collection of photographs and newspaper articles.

The event was initially planned to be held last year but was postponed due to Covid. Some guests had not seen each other in over fifty years and while name tags were helpful initially, they soon became superfluous as superior memories kicked in and old black and white images were matched with the real people.

The reunion was organised by Dorothy Hogan (nee Cheney), Karen Farrell (nee Barber) and Ross Coates and brought together local ex-students and many who had travelled, some from interstate, to attend the festivities.

It became clear that one dinner would not be enough time for all the chatting and sharing to be completed and so the weekend developed into a series of dinners, coffee meetings and breakfasts. Sight-seeing was another popular activity. Tales of students, teachers and events took on epic proportions while some re-lived the many sports and concerts participated in. It was evident that fond memories of Parkes, school and the people who shared their growing up, are held in the hearts of this cohort.

Now, the group has dispersed to rest their vocal cords, investigate or upgrade their skills on social media and rummage for more photographic and film evidence for the next reunion, which all agree will be in the not too-distant future.

By Kerrie Peden

Fifty years on for the Class of ’71 at the reunion at Hotel Gracelands recently.

The Forbes Business Chamber is pleased to support the Parkes Elvis Festival and the Tourism and Events team of the Forbes Shire Council by introducing a Shopping Passport. One thousand copies of the Passport have been put into the Elvis promotional bags and handed out to participating businesses. The passport is to encourage visitors to explore the CBD and businesses. The Elvis Festival is one of the larger events which Forbes is lucky to be able to piggy-back on by offering accommodation, events and activities that encourage visitors to stay longer and enjoy our beautiful town,” said Marg Duggan, President of the Forbes Business Chamber.