Autumn Fest this Sunday, 7 April

12pm–5pm Sunday 7 April Wachter Reserve Kingsclere Avenue, Keysborough (next to Parkmore Shopping Centre)
Headline act: Diamonds of Neptune (indie rock)

Enjoy a chilled-out Autumn afternoon at a fun, free event featuring live music, family-friendly entertainment and a host of activities.
Autumn Fest will be held at Keysborough’s Wachter Reserve and is a great chance to meet with friends and family for a relaxed afternoon in the park.
Music lovers can grab one of our colourful bean bags and settle in for some live music including performances from the amazing Victorian Police Band Code One, a traditional didgeridoo performance and several talented local and emerging artists.
You can also take part in the many free activities including:

• a 10-metre rock climbing wall
• ride inside the ground zorb balls
• visit the special Under 5s world
• try sports activities including squash, soccer, cricket and more
• arts and crafts
• and much more

There will also be roving performers, food and market stalls and give-aways.

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Free Digital Media Workshop Opportunity

Call out to all artists in the City of Greater Dandenong!

The City of Greater Dandenong is looking for local artists to participate in a series of 2 FREE Digital Media Workshops.

Use your creative and artistic talents to develop individual digital audio/visual slide stories that explore the theme of racism.

The stories have the potential to be uploaded to the City of Greater Dandenong website, promoted to other external websites and be screened in public venues across the Greater Dandenong area.

Dates: Saturday 11 May & Sunday 12 May
Time: 10am – 3pm
Venue: Heritage Hill,  66 McCrae Street, Dandenong

Participants are required to attend BOTH sessions.

If you are interested in being a part of these exciting workshops, please contact Greer Davis gdavis@cgd.vic.gov.au or 9239 5141.

All equipment provided. No previous media experience is necessary.

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Hot & Cool

Last Sunday we held our inargural Hot & Cool event in the garden. It was a georgous day, the sun shone and there was not a cloud in the sky.

We had the Suitcase Rummage market back on site with loads of vintage and contemporary bargains. We also had music cortesty of Rosey and Nick Lovell. There were a number of tasty looking picnic treats spread out on the lawns being enjoyed by visitors and we had record numbers head into Laurel Lodge to check out the new historical displays.

All in all it was a perfect day! Next month, Hot & Cool heads over to the Walker St Gallery as we start heading into the colder months, the 7th April at 2:30pm sees Cosmo Cosmolino playing Gypsy and Eastern European music. Don’t forget, it’s a totally free event! We’ll see you in April at the Walker St Gallery.

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Station Sessions at Dandenong Station

Tom Francis

Commuters are being treated to free musical performances at Dandenong Train Station each week.

As part of the rollout of the Dandenong Railway Station Precinct Action Plan 2011-2018, local musicians will be performing at the station every Friday throughout the months of June and July.

The Station Sessions feature acoustic music from 4pm to 6pm.

So drop in on your way home from work and listen to some chilled tunes by some talented musicians!

Benny Walker

 

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Things that go Bump in the Night – Walker St Gallery

Ever wondered what happens after dark?

Walker St Gallery’s latest exhibition looks at the notions of all things spooky, gothic and a little bit nightmarish.

The month long exhibition called Things that Go Bump in the Night will incorporate paintings, drawings, installations, photography, video, performance art, as well as a string quartet and a rock band.

Featuring some of Australia’s most highly regarded visual and performing artists, the exhibition will run in conjunction with Dandenong’s annual winter arts event, Nocturnal.

Things that go Bump in the Night opens on Thursday, 31 May and runs until Saturday, 30 June
The exhibition will feature the works of Fabrice Bigot, Jane Burton, Jon Cattapan, Edward Colless, Mat Coyle, Irene Hanenbergh, Kotoe Ishii, Georgia Metaxas, Stephanie Monteith, and Mia Saljso and Heidi Yardley.

Two special performances will also take place during the month long visual arts exhibition. Silo String Quartet will play a free concert on Thursday, 7 June at 8pm and Post rock band Laura will perform on Thursday, 14 June at 8pm.

Walker St Gallery is located on the corner of Walker and Robinson streets in Dandenong.

The gallery is open 11am to 5pm, Monday to Friday and 11am to 3pm on Saturdays. It is closed on public holidays.

Entry to the exhibition is free.

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Nocturnal: Lighting up Dandenong at night

There’s something really interesting going on in the streets of Dandenong this month… All throughout June the streets will come alive with a series of temporary art projects by over 45 artists as part of the Nocturnal festival.

Nocturnal focuses on bringing Dandenong to life after dark and incorporates:
• Eight-storey high art projections
• A series of artworks by established, emerging and student artists
• Popular guided night walks through the streets of Dandenong exploring art projects, light works and performances

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Composting Workshop at Heritage Hill

Worming your way to a healthy garden

Learn how to create a healthy garden and a healthy environment
at a free workshop this month.
Council is running an introductory session on how to establish a compost bin and worm farm at home. It will run as part of International Composting Awareness Week and offers practical advice on making chemical-free fertiliser to enrich your garden and grow healthy plants.

FREE giveaway for each participant to help you compost at home!

The free workshop will be held
Time:10am-noon
Date: Saturday 12 May
Where: Heritage Hill Museum and Historical Gardens,
66 McCrae Street, Dandenong.
Bookings essential.
Phone: 9797 1715.

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Wachter Reserve Day Out this Sunday

Sunday 29 April, 11 – 4pm

Kingsclere Ave, Keysborough (across from Parkmore Shopping Centre)

Bring the whole family and enjoy this free community festival featuring live musical and dance performances, free activities and workshops, circus entertainment, a huge 10 meter rock climbing wall, jumping castle, and much more!

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Get Active – with a Giant Theramin

Today we’re looking at something rather surprising but rather fun too. Have you heard of a Theramin? It’s a musical instrument that you don’t touch, pull, poke or shake to play, instead it picks up the movement of your hands as you wave them above it and creates sound from that. You can find out about the usual style of Theramins in the wikipedia article here.

What does this have to do with Get Active month, we hear you ask… Well, Melbourne City Council in association with Vicheath’s MOTION program have commissioned a giant Theramin from artist Robin Fox.

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Get Active – Happy Harmony Day!

Today is Harmony Day in Australia! Harmony Day is a day when all Australians celebrate our cultural diversity and it gives people the opportunity to celebrate what makes each Australian unique and share what we have in common. The day is also the United Nation’s International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.

The message for Harmony Day in 2012 is that Everyone Belongs, which means all Australians are a welcome part of our country, regardless of their background. It’s a time to reflect on where Australia has come from, recognising the traditional owners of this land. It’s also about community participation, inclusiveness and respect – celebrating the different cultures that make Australia a great place to live.

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