Successful Big Sky Festival

By Les Graetz LAST Saturday’s Big Sky Festival at The Oasis, Rainbow, was very successful with about 400 people attending.

FAMILY FUN: Sol Connell and her children enjoying the festival, Dianella, 11, Arthur, 7, and Bella, 6, with friend Ryan Joshi, 2. Photo: Les Graetz

By Les Graetz

LAST Saturday’s Big Sky Festival at The Oasis, Rainbow, was very successful with about 400 people attending.

The afternoon began with a market featuring 26 stalls. There was a mixture of local artisans and stall holders from out of town who travelled from as far away as Donald, Sea Lake, and Horsham.

The majority of the stall holders reported good sales, and were full of praise for the market atmosphere, location and organisation, expressing a desire to return for the next market in Rainbow.

The miniature silo painting, and the larger roving silo, brought out the artist in many people, while the ever-popular Waldo the Magician drew a large crowd.

Many people also viewed the silos that had been painted for the mini silo art trail on the paths of The Oasis.

The musical side of the event began with Jarrod Shaw entertaining the early crowd with his bluesy act.

He was followed by the Genevieve Chadwick Trio, who ripped into their tunes with great gusto, with Genevieve’s powerful vocals being a highlight.

Some locals remembered Rich Davies from his solo performance at the Old School Session in 2018.

At the beginning of his set, backed by his band The Low Road, he mentioned his previous gig in Rainbow. He followed this with a powerhouse set of folk/rock music highlighting his great voice and the versatility of his band.

The final act of the evening was Danny Walsh Banned, whose energetic set of hard-driving rock and roll had people up and dancing.

Born and bred in Donald, the musician referenced his country upbringing in several of his songs, including the poignant Burra, and Pride of Erin. Danny’s byplay with band member Leo ‘The Weed’ Tellefson was another highlight of the set.

Event organiser, Ben Gosling, was pleased with how things went.

"It was great to see so many people enjoying themselves, checking out the market stalls, participating in the silo art, and listening to the four music acts.

“This event was only possible due to lots of work put in by many people. They cleaned up the site before and after, sold raffle tickets, and organised market stalls. Overall, it was a great effort by our community.

“Our raffle raised over $1600, and with the market stall fees we raised over $2000 which will be used to keep The Oasis functioning as an important asset for Rainbow.”