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    Patrons enjoy the 2019 Horsham Country Music Festival. Picture: PAUL CARRACHER

Horsham Country Music Festival plans in full swing

Organisers of next year’s 13th Horsham Country Music Festival say preparations for the event are progressing ahead of schedule.

Acting festival co-ordinator Lyall Wheaton said inquiries and accommodation bookings for the March 26-29 festival were up on previous years and had exceeded expectations.

Mr Wheaton said this year’s festival, the 12th, would have been the last one had it not been for record attendance and positive feedback from patrons, including Horsham Rural City Council mayor Mark Radford.

He said festival committee members had agreed to join forces with people who attended a public meeting to save the event.



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He said the group was working together and expected this year’s event to be ‘highly’ successful.

Artists scheduled to play at next year’s festival include Graham Rodger, Kiara Rodrigues and Don Costa from Queensland; Johanna Hemara, Stephen R. Cheney, Dwayne Elix and Peter Coad and the Coad Sisters from New South Wales; Sandie Dodd, Justin Standley and Venessa Warra from Victoria; and Joy Adams from New Zealand.

Mr Wheaton, who has co-ordinated every Horsham Country Music Festival, said the event would have a similar set-up to last year with the addition of a breakfast and show at Horsham Sports and Community Club.

The Saturday, March 28, show will feature Sandie Dodd and Graham Rodger.

Three other artists – Stephen R. Cheney, Joy Adams and Sandra Loats – will also perform at Jung Market on the Saturday morning, while a busking competition will be at Horsham Plaza.

Walk-ups will be at Riverside Caravan Park on the afternoon of Thursday, March 26, with a second round of walk-ups at Wimmera Lakes Caravan Park on Sunday, March 29.

Mr Wheaton said people did not need to register for walk-ups, but people wanting to enter the Horsham Plaza busking competition needed to register by phoning him on 5381 1995.

Dinner and shows will be on the final night of the festival, with Justin Standley and Dwayne Elix at Toy’s Garden Restaurant in Horsham, Stephen R. Cheney and Johanna Hemara at Horsham RSL and Don Costa and Venessa Warra at Glen Logan restaurant.

Reservations for dinner and shows will open on February 1.

Festival passes, which cost $75 for the four-day festival, are now on sale at Horsham Visitor Information Centre in O’Callaghan Parade.

People can call Mr Wheaton for more information about the festival on 5381 1995.

The entire December 4, 2019 edition of The Weekly Advertiser is available online. READ IT HERE!