The committee, more widely known as Tongala Together, will pretty much “go it alone’’ — financially speaking — this year as support from Campaspe Shire Council dropped from $4000 to $1000.
Amber Townsend, a key player in organising the inaugural event last year, said the organisation would wear most of the cost of staging the Sunday, October 9 festival — to enable the town’s businesses to “cash in’’ on the day.
Tongala Eats and Beats will this year take the form of a food and music celebration, from noon until 4pm.
Council financial support of last year’s event, a $4000 injection of funds through the one-off Creative Active Recovery Grant, meant organisers didn’t face the same financial challenges they do this year.
“Eats and Beats was designed to fit the grant criteria, with the shire injecting funds into community events that supported the live music scene and hospitality at that time,” Mrs Townsend said.
She said several businesses severely affected by COVID-19 lockdowns had benefited from the 2021 event
“The shire funding allowed us to hire a sound technician, along with four musicians who each did four 45-minute sets,” she said.
This year the event has received a $1000 community grant, the organising committee making a commitment to fund the rest of the event through its own resources.
The 2022 version of Tongala Eats and Beats will have three artists: a female acoustic act who will open the event, followed by a two-hour set of a Bendigo-based male country artist, and an Echuca-based female artist will close the event.
The acts would be revealed in the coming weeks, Mrs Townsend said, with potential COVID complications forcing organisers to keep their identities a secret for the time being.
She did reveal that Eats and Beats would again be a free community event, open to everyone.
“There won’t be a charge for people to enter, we really want to attract people to the event and encourage them to spend their money with the stall holders and surrounding businesses,” Mrs Townsend said.
“There will, however, be an opportunity to make a donation.”
Last year’s event attracted 500 people amid rather strict COVID conditions in front of the town’s sound shell on the shire lawns.
“We are hoping the numbers will increase, it was such a relaxing day out last year and our decision to stage the event has been on the back of the community asking for it to happen,” Mrs Townsend said.
She said discussion about Tongala Eats and Beats becoming an annual event had been ongoing since last year’s event — which was held in May.
“We’ve scheduled this year’s festival to be in between the end of the footy season and the start of the cricket/tennis season,” she said.
“We see that as the perfect opportunity to attract the biggest crowd.”
The 2022 event, like last year, will have a market that involves businesses from the town providing food, craft and children’s entertainment options.
Uncle Rick Ronnan will open the event with a smoking ceremony, and the development group will conduct a barbecue.
“We will also have Honey and Hen, a slow-cooked brisket barbecue-style van; an ice cream van; and Papercake, a cookie-making business in Tongala, will also be here again,” Mrs Townsend said.
“We are adding a mini-market, one stall with sweets, another with kids’ activities, fairy floss, and other Tongala organisations will also be involved.”
She said the event was designed to encourage visitors to check out Tongala — its unique street art and businesses — then enjoy the musical entertainment.
“This is one of our biggest events, along with the hay bay trail,” Mrs Townsend said.
“Our location, between some of the larger towns, is ideal to give Shepparton and Echuca people a day out in different surrounds.”
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