Coolamon Shire Council is preparing for one of its busiest tourism periods of the year, with planning well underway for the annual Spring It’s On Campaign and a packed calendar of events planned over the next few months. Although the promotion runs all year, activities ramp up from now until October as the region prepares to welcome visitors for spring and the annual canola flowering season. A Tourism and Business Development Report updating activities was presented to the council at its July meeting. Preparations have begun for the Spring It’s On Campaign event guide and once finalised, it will be distributed to residents, local businesses and tourism operators throughout the region. Ganmain will feature prominently in this year’s program, with a series of events scheduled over the coming months. Kicking off the activities next month will be the Ganmain Trivia Night on 7 August, followed by the popular 116th Ganmain Show on 22 August. September will also be a busy month in Ganmain with the Ganmain Chalk Walk taking place on 4 September and the Ganmain Book Fair being held a week later on 11 September. Some of the other highlights throughout the shire will include the Red Nose Day Rural Style event on 14 August. The Yield Festival opening night will be on 28 August, with the festival continuing until 4 October. Art lovers have not been forgotten, with the Up2Date Art exhibition being held from 28 August to 13 September, the Capture Coolamon Shire exhibition from 28 August to 4 October and the Stories of Glass and Metal exhibition from 18 September to 4 October. Three popular events, always sure to attract a large crowd, will be the Ardlethan Show on 19 September, the Marrar Madness Extreme Bull event on 26 September and the Coolamon Fire Engine Muster on 4 October. Meanwhile, this year’s flowering campaign will include a new video, which will highlight some of the “Canola Trail’s hero experiences” in the hope of encouraging people to start planning their visit. Adding further incentive, the flowering campaign will also include a competition offering a three-night Canola Trail getaway for two, providing another opportunity to showcase the region’s attractions. Although the Spring It’s On Campaign is centred around the busy spring tourism season, activities will continue beyond the flowering period, culminating with Coolamon’s Christmas in the Park on December 6.
