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When something is done well, it can look effortless.
What you don’t see is the hours and hours of hard work put in behind the scenes to make it happen.
I’m applying this logic to the recent Flavours of Mudgee, held last weekend.
Mid-Western Regional Council must be commended for putting on an event that – from my perspective – was executed nigh on flawlessly.
Lines were never over long, the crowds were spaced out such that getting around wasn’t a nightmare, parking was accessible, the food was plentiful and the entertainment and atmosphere was top notch.
It’s no surprise then that council was also recently awarded the the RH Dougherty Award for Innovation in Special Events (Division A - population less than 30,000), an award that’s been won in the past by events like the Parkes Elvis Festival and the Bungaree’s Farm event in Mosman.
When we put the call out on the Mudgee Guardian Facebook page asking our readers what they thought of the evening, we received a generally positive snapshot of opinions from those who attended.
It’s probably best if we keep to having one Flavours of Mudgee a year though, my stomach cannot handle more than that.
Paul Ossewyer commented, “It was a great advertisement for Mudgee. Thoroughly enjoyed wandering the Street sampling food, wine and beer of the area.”
It wasn’t all roses, some comments were mixed.
Susan Fuller said, “Great atmosphere, however this year too crowded and not enough rubbish collection (broken glass was a real problem) and for an event of this size more toilets needed. Great performers.”
To be honest, there will always be positives and negative, and it’s impossible to please everyone, but the response and feeling on the night from the community was one of appreciation.
I’ve been told by a lot of people recently that ‘Mudgee is a brand’, and I tend to agree.
Once upon a time you’d have to tell people where you lived in terms of its proximity to Sydney, now all you have to do is say ‘Oh, I’m from Mudgee’ and people know exactly where you’re talking about.
For a town of this size, we consistently punch well above our weight and these kinds of events will only mean positive things for Mudgee in the future.
It’s probably best if we keep to having one Flavours of Mudgee a year though, my stomach cannot handle more than that.