Parkes Shire residents are invited to join the conversation at the Parkes 2030 Community Workshops. Council is hosting a series of workshops throughout the Shire to encourage residents to help shape the projects that we will develop and deliver over the next 12 years. To find out more, visit www.parkes.nsw.gov.au. To register your attendance at any of the workshops, call 6861 2333.

Following the most successful Parkes Elvis Festival in the event’s 25 year history, Council came together with the Parkes Chamber of Commerce to host a Community Feedback Evening. Residents and local retailers provided feedback on the 2017 Festival, including what worked well and ideas to improve the Festival for 2018. For those who were unable to attend, you can still provide feedback via elvis@parkes.nsw.gov.au.

Locals are encouraged to head to Harrison Park on Saturday, 25th February to watch this year’s Local Government Touch Football Carnival. There’ll be plenty of family fun, team dress ups, and friendly competition.

Congratulations to all the participants of the Summer Reading Club, who managed to read in excess of 888 books over the summer holidays. Over 200 children from Parkes, Peak Hill, Trundle and Tullamore registered for the Club, which aims to encourage a love for reading and build a lifelong library habit. The club members are now looking forward to their graduation celebration, which will be held on Thursday, 16th February at 4.30pm at Parkes Library.

Have a safe and enjoyable weekend.
Yours Faithfully,
Cr Ken Keith OAM
Mayor of Parkes Shire

It’s time to rock ‘n’ roll for the 25th anniversary of the Parkes Elvis Festival. Thousands of visitors arrived ahead of
the weekend festivities, with record visitation numbers expected. As you make your way to and from the Festival, please drive carefully and be vigilant on the roads. On Sunday we celebrated The King’s birthday at the official launch of Elvis Central. Bob and Anne Steel, the founders of the Festival, cut the Elvis cake. Elvis Central, the official outlet for festival merchandise and souvenirs, is at 203 Clarinda Street in the heart of the Festival Boulevard.

All proceeds go directly to the festival allowing it to grow and improve each year. With temperatures expected to peak in the 40’s today, I encourage all festival-goers to keep hydrated and to slip, slop and slap. Escape the heat at the Heatbreak Hotels located along the festival boulevard. These hydration zones will help you cool off. Be sure to secure your piece of history with an official souvenir program, calendar and the festival’s 25th Anniversary DVD ‘This is Our Story’, all available from the Parkes Information Centre, Elvis Central, Council’s Administration Building and other businesses. These are great keepsakes to take home to show family and friends how much fun you had. Free festival pocket guides are also available throughout town to help you plan your itinerary so you don’t miss a thing!

Finally, a big thank you to our dedicated volunteers, valued sponsors and supporters, Elvis Revival Incorporated, local businesses, community members and Parkes Shire Council staff for all their hard work in making this year’s festival the biggest and best one yet.

Thankyer, thankyer very much.

Cr Ken Keith OAM
Mayor of Parkes Shire

In my first mayoral message for 2017, I would like to extend a very warm welcome to our returning guests and new friends as we prepare to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Parkes Elvis Festival with a Viva Las Vegas theme.
To celebrate this milestone a special 25th Anniversary Gala Dinner is being held on Wednesday, 11th January. Tickets can still be purchased from the Parkes Leagues Club at www.parkesleaguesclub.com.

With more than 120 individual events taking place over the five days, we are expecting to welcome over 22,000 festival-goers to town, set to surpass last year’s visitation numbers. Be sure to secure your piece of history with an official souvenir program, calendar and the Festival’s 25th Anniversary DVD ‘This is Our Story’, all available for purchase from the Parkes Information Centre, the Elvis Central Store, Council’s Administration Building and other participating businesses.

These are great keepsakes to take home to show family and friends just how much fun you had at the Parkes Elvis Festival. Free Festival pocket guides are also available throughout town and I encourage everyone to pick one up and start planning your itinerary so you don’t miss a thing! A big thank you goes out to our dedicated volunteers, valued sponsors and supporters, Elvis Revival Incorporated, local businesses, community members and Parkes Shire Council staff for all their hard work in preparation to the 2017 Festival – no doubt it will be our biggest and best one yet!

I would like to make special mention of the founders of the Festival, Bob and Anne Steel, whose unwavering dedication over the past 25 years has led to its success. Finally, with temperatures on the rise, I encourage all festival-goers to keep hydrated and slip, slop, slap throughout the festivities. I look forward to rock ‘n’ rolling with you all next week.

Yours Faithfully,
Cr Ken Keith OAM
Mayor of Parkes Shire

I would like to invite the community to connect with Council via our new user-friendly website and social media pages. After six months of consultation, planning, tendering and user testing, the new-look website was launched this week just in time for Christmas. Residents and visitors can keep uptodate with all the Council news and events by signing up to our e-newsletter. For more information visit www.parkes.nsw.gov.au or follow us on Facebook or Twitter.

The Tullamore Irish Festival has launched its new and improved event format for 2017, which will have a music concert focus. The lineup will have longer sets with each act playing for 1.5 hours. Tickets are on sale at www.tullamore.org.au , and are the perfect last-minute Christmas gift. There are just two more nights to enjoy the Christmas illuminations throughout town before they switch over for the 2017 Elvis Festival. From Boxing Day onward, the 12 projections will have a ‘Viva Las Vegas’ theme to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Festival.

Rounding out a remarkable year, Council was awarded formal safety management accreditation by SAI Global. This means that Council is delivering best practice in WHS and providing a safe workplace for all our staff and contractors. Finally, I would like to thank the Parkes Shire community for their support throughout 2016. This year has been one of the most exciting and progressive years for Council, and I look forward to what 2017 will bring for our region. For those travelling over the Christmas/New Year period, please do so safely. I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and happy and healthy New Year.

Best wishes,
Cr Ken Keith OAM
Mayor of Parkes Shire

Residents of Parkes are encouraged to have their say on the proposed route of the Newell Highway heavy vehicle bypass. Minister for Roads and Freight, Hon Duncan Gay was in Parkes to announce the 10.5 km route, which is set to improve traffic flow and reduce the number of trucks travelling through Parkes. Roads & Maritime Service (RMS) will be carrying out community consultations between 8th December and 10th February at various locations. For more information or to have your say, visit www.rms.nsw.gov.au.

The countdown is on with less than a month to go until the 25th Parkes Elvis Festival. To celebrate this milestone a special 25th Anniversary Gala Dinner is being held on 11th January 2017. Tickets can be purchased from the Parkes Leagues Club, www.parkesleaguesclub.com. Anyone wishing to get involved in all the festival fun while giving back to the community, is encouraged to volunteer. For information, or to register, visit www.parkeselvisfestival.com.au.

I would like to congratulate Felicity Cootes from Black Duck Creek in Queensland for her winning photo entry in our Colour Parkes competition. Felicity, her husband and baby boy visited Parkes during spring and snapped the winning image at The Dish. She will return to Parkes early in 2017 to claim her exclusive tour of the Dish. Check
out her winning entry on the Parkes Tourism Facebook page.

As harvest season draws to a close, I would like to thank the community for exercising extra care and sharing the roads with heavy vehicle operators. With the busy holiday season approaching, I encourage motorists travelling over the festive period to do so safely. Have a safe, enjoyable and festive weekend.

Yours Faithfully,
Cr Ken Keith OAM
Mayor of Parkes Shire

Congratulations to the community members, local organisations and Council staff who helped deliver the PAC Park Rehabilitation project, which has been awarded its second major accolade for the year. The project took out Division A of the Natural Environment Protection and Enhancement: On-Ground Works category at the Local Government Excellence in the Environment Awards held in Sydney last week.

Parkes Aquatic Centre is gearing up to host the biggest pool party in town tomorrow. Students aged 10 to 18 years can join the fun at the Big Summer Splash, with local acoustic duo Salt to the Wound performing live. The Junior Splash Party for 10-12 year olds kicks off at 6pm, with the Senior Splash Party for 13-18 year olds starting at 8pm until 10pm. Cost is just pool entry.

After a two-year break, the Christmas Parade returned to Parkes with tremendous success last Friday. Hundreds of residents lined the street to watch over 30 colourful floats make their way around Cooke Park. Congratulations to the Parkes Action Club for their efforts in revitalizing this fantastic event. Following the Parade, the Sparkle in the Park event saw huge crowds turning out for festive fun and entertainment, another fantastic event coordinated by the Parkes UpMarkets and Chamber of Commerce.

Locals are encouraged to warm up their vocal chords for Carols in the Park on Sunday. Everyone is invited to sing along to some Christmas classics in Cooke Park from 6.30pm. Then stroll the CBD after sundown and enjoy the fabulous illuminations and projections that line Clarinda Street and Cooke Park for the duration of the festive season.

Have a safe, enjoyable and festive weekend.
Yours Faithfully,
Cr Ken Keith OAM
Mayor of Parkes Shire

The festive season is upon us, with the Parkes Christmas Parade kicking off the celebrations at 6pm today. Everyone is invited to watch over 30 floats make their way down Clarinda Street and into Cooke Park for Sparkle in the Park. As the sun goes down, local buildings and shops will become a colourful canvas of light displays as part of Sparkle Illuminations. This year is set to be the biggest and brightest yet, with 12 light installations and projections transforming Parkes into an outdoor exhibition.

Don’t forget to pack the picnic blanket, with the outdoor cinema screening of the Christmas classic, The Santa Clause. Oh What Fun will be had in Peak Hill for this year’s Meet You Up the Street Festival today. The streets will come alive with music, stalls, rides and art, before the crowds gather for the famous billy cart derby at the old gold mine late afternoon.

When doing your Christmas shopping, keep an eye out for the Shop Parkes this Christmas entry forms. With any purchase, you have a chance to win a fabulous trip to Las Vegas valued at $4,000. Locals are encouraged to fly into any of the Parkes Shire libraries to take part in the Heroes and Villians Summer Reading Club. This year, a heroes and villians themed party will be held if 888 books are read before 31st January 2017. The club is open to all children and youth, and is free to join. Visit Parkes, Peak Hill, Trundle or Tullamore Libraries to receive your mission kit and start reading.

Have a safe and enjoyable and festive weekend.

Yours Faithfully,
Cr Ken Keith OAM
Mayor of Parkes Shire