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Friday, December 18, 2009

A Drysdale Festival of Glass

Planning has started for a unique cultural event for the Bellarine Peninsula - the Drysdale Festival of Glass. To be held early in 2011, the Festival will combine art, craft and industry in a celebration of the beauty, usefulness and adaptability of glass.

The Drysdale & Clifton Springs Community Association has initiated the festival, which it sees as a community-building event. Association President Doug Carson said, 'Many towns have become associated with a cultural event such as a festival or exhibition and the Drysdale Festival Of Glass will be a unique and distinctive annual event. We think that it offers great scope for people from all walks of life to come together to create something really different and special.'

Carson said that the Association has just started the lengthy process of planning the Festival, but has a clear vision of what the event will include. 'We want to invite makers and users of glass from across the region to assemble at Drysdale and celebrate their work and their skill', he said. 'The Festival will feature stalls by local artisans and craftspeople who are making and using glass, plus demonstrations of their techniques, including glass blowing and enamelling. There will be displays of historical and contemporary glass objects, optical instruments, glass collectables … and bottle-neck guitar playing!'

The Drysdale Festival of Glass will include competitions for all ages, such as the best glass-related photograph, painting, creative writing and music; the best glass sculpture; and the best example of recycling glass. There will be special features and classes, including 'Glass in Architecture', 'Glass in Industry', 'Glass in Climate Change' and 'The Old Glass Road Show' (bring yours to be valued!). There will even be a competition to find the worst local traffic bottleneck!

'At present, we are spreading the word about the Festival as widely as we can', said Carson. 'In the New Year, we will call people together, ask them what they think of the idea and, if they like it, form a group that can plan the first Drysdale Festival of Glass.'

Anyone who is interested in participating in the Festival or who just wants to find out more about it should contact Drysdale & Clifton Springs Community Association - by mail at P.O. Box 581, Drysdale, or by e-mail at dryclift@bigpond.com

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