Congratulations to Mr Tony Goodman, the council and all who contributed to organising, promoting and staging the exhilarating street festival (Wheels on Mary).
And congratulations to the Gympie community who turned out in record numbers to support the event.
What a night out it was!
At times a pedestrian traffic jam occurred somewhere between the traffic lights and the Five Ways at the Town Hall end of Mary Street.
There was an abundance of entertainment, spectacle and street and cafe food.
On the entertainment side there was a range of enjoyable street music, while the main stage featured vocalists Gympie-hatched songbird Caitlyn Shadbolt and Reece Mastin.
The rally cars drew an admiring audience, as did the ‘Aerial Dreaming’ team who performed to explosive applause in front of the Post Office.
Adding to the enjoyable street spectacle were the popular Fire Twirler, the Stilt Walkers and the Hula Hoop Queen.
The ‘Wheels on Mary’ theme was brilliantly stated in the presentations of the Gympie Historical Cars, the Cooloola Custom and Classic Cars and about a hundred Rally Cars here for the weekend event.
Topping off the wheels on display was the 1930s Heritage Bus parked in the middle of the street between the vintage cars and the classics.
The trees as usual provided great visual interest, thanks to the diligent efforts of schools and other community organisations.
Many held happy viewers and eager photographers for sustained periods.
The winning entry, the tree near King Kong Sales, was an amazing work of art and the result of hours of skilful work by well-known Gympie identities Rita O’Neill and Ian Wenzel.
For me, the stand-out impression of the event was the up-beat mood of community.
But I believe these Street Festivals serve a purpose beyond the enjoyment they provide and the focus they place on the town centre.
They are periodic celebrations of our community and, as such, they boost our communal morale and enhance our sense of identity.
Well done Gympie!
– Merv Welch,
The Palms
