A towering moving sculpture, light shows and late night trading in the heart of Castlemaine, lead Mount Alexander Shire Council’s invitation to residents to step out and celebrate the year’s end.
“It’s been such a big year for everybody and Council really wants to encourage our communities to come together and mark the end of 2021 in style,” said Marg Allan, Acting Manager of Economy and Culture at Council.
From Wednesday 8 December until Tuesday 4 January Taradale artist, Alex Sanson’s towering kinetic sculpture Spherophyte, will fold and unfold in hypnotic motion in Victory Park, Castlemaine.
With 48 moving arms, this 6.5 metre sculpture inspired by meditative breathing will be in our shire’s commercial centre for the first time, following installations at Lot 19 in 2016, White Night Melbourne 2017 and Ballarat’s Summer of Fun 2021.
Castlemaine’s historic Market Building will become a giant screen, displaying digitally projected drawings by senior students from Castlemaine North, Winters Flat and Chewton Primary Schools.
Similarly inspired by a ‘good will’ theme, Maldon Primary School students’ drawings will be projected, along with a film of Alex Sanson’s work, from Maldon’s award-winning Old Bank Corner, in the recently-declared national Best Regional Main Street. Castlemaine artist Jim Coad has created the projections.
Council is also partnering with Business Mount Alexander to boost Castlemaine’s night-time economy in the lead up to Christmas.
On 10 and 17 December, shops will stay open until 8pm and Castlemaine’s new-look Village Square on Frederick Street, will be abuzz with free entertainment, programmed by the Castlemaine Fringe Festival. For details on the Village Square’s program of events visit www.getlost.org.au/creator/the-village-square.
Council is also supporting The Rotary Club of Castlemaine’s Christmas carols on Friday 17 December at 7pm in the Castlemaine Botanical Gardens. The annual Christmas Twilight Market will take place on Saturday 18 December from 3-7pm at Western Reserve. Run by the Castlemaine Artists Market in conjunction with the Young Makers Market, this is a great opportunity to shop for Christmas while supporting small local producers and businesses and enjoying food and music.
Smaller communities are also getting some Christmas love from Council, with funding to support activities ranging from markets, BBQs, picnics, community gatherings and Christmas decorations in Newstead, Harcourt, Guildford, Elphinstone, Chewton, Campbells Creek, Baringhup, Fryerstown, Sutton Grange and Metcalfe.
Ms Allan said Council’s Christmas program to end 2021 would very much celebrate the shire’s great community strengths.
“Council wishes to thank all our community partners, event organisers and artists for their work in making these celebrations happen. It’s a great credit to them.”
This article appeared in the Tarrangower Times, 10 December 2021.
