December 22, 2018
Nanango’s Christmas Carnival made a triumphant return to Pioneer Park on Thursday night after a gap of eight years, and local children couldn’t have been happier.
The carnival offered a wide range of free amusement rides and games to keep the youngsters amused all night, thanks to generous sponsorship from Heritage Bank Nanango.
The only things parents had to pay for were food, soft drinks and any Christmas gifts they wanted to buy from the market stalls around the grounds.
The carnival was organised by the Nanango Tourism and Development Association (NaTDA) as a replacement for the New Year’s Eve Mardi Gras, which was washed out last year.
To judge by the crowd that began to pack Pioneer Park shortly after 5:00pm on Thursday, it was a very popular decision.
Like Christmas Carnivals everywhere, a visit from Santa was a centrepiece of the celebrations.
He was mobbed by scores of eager youngsters soon after he was driven into the park in a large purple Cadillac by his elves at 5:30pm.
The queue to talk to Santa soon began to stretch, but everyone waited patiently for their turn.
Children were rewarded with a free ice block and a bag of lollies after they’d sat on the jolly gentleman’s knee.
Elsewhere in the grounds, food stalls dispensed hot dogs, sizzling barbecue delights, Asian dishes, hot chips and soft drinks while parents caught up with old friends and wished one another the compliments of the season, or browsed market stalls offering everything from silver jewellery to freshly brewed flavoured teas.
Popular local performers Pobblebonk kept the music flowing all night on the Pioneer Park stage.
NaTDA president Gloria Kirkness said she was very pleased with the roll-up, and even more pleased that this year the weather gods smiled on the evening, too.
Gloria said she was particularly heartened by how many other community groups had joined in to make the night memorable.
She was also very pleased with the way many of Nanango’s business community had decorated their shop windows.
“Everyone has pitched in this year to make Christmas a bit special for children, and they all deserve to be congratulated,” she said.
“It was really nice to see, and it was really nice to get our town’s Christmas Carnival up and running again.”
