September 5, 2016
Moves may be afoot to rename the Timbertowns to Avotowns after a surprise visitor dropped into Blackbutt’s Radnor Hotel last Friday night to argue the case for a name change.
The tall, good-looking green visitor towered over most of the people in the packed bar.
But he quickly won them over with his big grin and swaggies hat.
Alvin the Avocado (“my mates call me Alvin”) will be a special guest at this weekend’s Bloomin’ Beautiful Blackbutt Avocado Festival, rubbing shoulders with the likes of Blazer The Bear, Spiderman and the Caped Crusader.
Alvin argued that while Blackbutt-Benarkin may have been founded on the timber industry, these days the town is home to some of Queensland’s biggest avocado farms.
And avocados have moved from being a rare food on Australian tables to a dinki-di staple.
“Struth, you’re even holding a festival this weekend to celebrate avocados – why not go all the way?” Alvin asked.
Bloomin’ Beautiful Blackbutt committee chairman Jeff Connor said he could see merit in Alvin’s idea and promised to take it up with other committee members in due course.
Right now, though, the Festival committee is tied up with last-minute preparations for this weekend’s festival, which looks like being the biggest to date.
Last week online ticket sales for the Kransky Sisters’ Saturday night concert sold out and there are now fewer than 20 seats left for what seems certain to be a sell-out show.
Lucky – and very quick – buyers can snap up the last remaining real life tickets at Blackbutt Hardware and/or the Blackbutt Medical Centre.
Workers are also toiling late into the night to prepare their floats for Saturday’s Giant Street Parade, which will wend its way from the Blackbutt Memorial Hall down Hart Street at 1:00pm, blocking highway traffic for 30 minutes so it can pass.
Chef Jason Ford – who’ll be giving avocado cooking demonstrations in the Hall all Saturday morning – is double-checking his recipes; and musicians Mr Q, Amanda Sempf and Ausphonic are tuning their instruments for the free “Live & Local” concert that will run in Les Muller Park from 10:00am to 3:00pm.
Over at Nukku Nook, bush poets are diligently rehearsing their lines; and down at the Blackbutt Showgrounds, helpers are marking out spaces for the very long line of market stalls and displays that will form an avenue to the site of the Avocado Games.
“I’m really looking forward to this weekend’s festival,” Alvin said as he waved goodbye to his new-found friends late on Friday night.
“Just make sure you give my idea a good think.
“It’s all about brand-awareness these days, you know.”
[Photos: Bloomin’ Beautiful Blackbutt Avocado Festival]
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