By Dylan Stone
The much-loved Menindee Charities Inc Christmas Celebrations are on again after a two year absence and will be held on Saturday November 26, with a visit from Santa and a Pageant.
The Pageant will be held from 10.30am as the red-suited and bearded one arrives, and it will travel to the Civic Hall, where the Fair will begin at 11am.
Pageant and Fair organisers are inviting locals in Menindee, Broken Hill, and the Far West region to join in the festivities with a float or a stall. A $150 Gift Card Raffle prize is up for grabs, and the day will feature food, drinks, cakes, toys, plants and more, plus a photo with Santa!
Fair Organiser Margot Muscat said it was great to see the Pageant and Fair back after two years of interruptions due to Covid.
“It is with relief and excitement that we can invite people back to Menindee for the Pageant and the Fair after a long break, and we are looking forward to celebrating the festive season as a community,” Mrs Muscat said.
“One of the great benefits of living in Menindee is the community spirit that keeps us going, and events such as our annual Pageant and Fair just remind us how important it is to remain connected to the community.”
The event also provides the community with the opportunity to showcase themselves to the wider Far West Region.
“It means that people in other communities who are looking for something fun to do on the day can certainly pop out to Menindee to see what we have to offer,’ Mrs Muscat said.
Historically, the Menindee Pageant generally attracted an average of 10 floats, and the Fair became home to an average of 10 stalls including the Menindee Charities Stall.
The Menindee Country Women’s Association (CWA) will be running this year’s food and drinks stall, and Menindee Charities will be organising photos with Santa, and drawing the $150 Gift Card Raffle prize.
There’s been some positive news recently for the Menindee community, including a $1000 donation to the Menindee Health Service from 2021-22 fundraising and sales at the Menindee Op Shop, which had been well supported by the Menindee Community and is run by Menindee Charities.
Mrs Muscat says, “events such as the Pageant and Fair enable different organisations such as the Op Shop to continue our work in the community, and the Pageant and Fair will be another opportunity for us to continue our work in this area.”
If you’re interested in participating in or attending the Pageant, you can contact Amanda on 0427 914 616, and for those interested in participating in or attending the Fair, Margot can be contacted on 0427 437 522.
