Maggi Barnard

Maggi Barnard has been with the Parkes Phoenix since it was established in March 2016 and loves writing about her community.

The Best Elvis Festival In The World!

April 29, 2022 By Maggi Barnard

CHEQUERED FLAG FESTIVAL… The Speedway theme this year lent itself to lots of creative costumes for the ever-popular street parade. Festival Director Tiffany Steel said: “After a bit of a break due to the pandemic, it was really magical to deliver the festival this year. The excited energy of our fans was palpable from the very first day, and it only grew from there.”

The blue suede shoes of 20,000 Elvis fans did not get too dusty over the past 24 months as they returned to Parkes to rock ‘n roll in what has been labelled the best Elvis festival in the world.

Parkes could not have asked for a better testimonial than from Charles Stone, tour producer of Elvis, who told a crowd of thousands in Cooke Park on Saturday that the Parkes Elvis Festival was in its own league. “I’ve been to a lot of Elvis festivals all over the world, and nothing compares to this.

“You guys have done the most wonderful job of preserving Elvis’ legacy and I can’t thank you enough. Elvis is looking down today saying, ‘Oh my god they really liked us’.”

Charles said Elvis was very concerned about his fans and every night he would say, “Do you think they enjoyed the show?”

Feature artist and Ultimate Elvis Tribute Artist Champion of 2019 Taylor Rodriquez from Virginia echoed Charles’ sentiments saying: “This festival is unlike anything I’ve ever seen and been a part of. This has got to be the best festival in the entire world, and I’m not exaggerating that. It is absolutely amazing! I can’t thank you enough for allowing me to be part of it.”

Charles said Elvis always asked: “Do you think they’re going to remember me when I’m gone?

“Look at us today! Oh man, he was really worried about that, but today at the Parkes Festival, Elvis has not left the building!”

By Maggi Barnard

Big Cheers For The Volunteers

April 29, 2022 By Maggi Barnard

The Parkes Elvis Festival cannot happen without them and this year the group of volunteers once again did a magnificent job ensuring the multitude of events ran smoothly and keeping the thousands of visitors happy. They volunteers were thanked for their hard work by Mayor Ken Keith, and the festival’s Tiffany Steel and Cathy Treasure.

Steve Captures Best Elvis Image

April 29, 2022 By Maggi Barnard

Parkes photographers Steve Ostini and Barry Green with their winning photographs in the Elvis Photography Competi-tion. The exhibition will be open for viewing at the Coventry Room until 5th May.

Thousands of photos are taken at every Parkes Elvis Festival to capture the colour, fun and vibe, but most of all the good times and memories.

Parkes Camera Club member Steve Ostini took the winning photograph of this year’s Elvis Photography Competition and Exhibition with his image called ‘The Bass Dean – a photo he took at the 2020 festival of Californian Elvis Tribute Artist Dean Z with the TIC band’s bass player. Steve also won the Digital Camera Portrait category with a photo he took of the Parkes Shire Mayor and Miss Priscilla 2020.

Another Parkes photographer Barry Green won the Overall Highly Commended category with an image of Dean Z’s concert.

The annual competition is a great way for festival fans to share their favourite images and this year 182 entries were received from the ACT, NSW, Victoria, Tasmania and Queensland. The three judges had a hard time judging each photo against criteria that included the technical aspects of the photograph, the visual and aesthetic content as well as its originality, style and context.

The other winners were:Smartphone Winner – Shadow of Elvis by Phillipa Kelly; runner Up – Bowls Anyone? By Scott McAleer; Digital Camera Colour winner – Workin’ It by Terina Vale; Digital Camera Black & White – Love Me Tender by Richard Bartlett.

Together Again!

April 29, 2022 By Maggi Barnard

The Class of ’71 at Parkes High School.

Remember the days in the old school yard? Well, that’s exactly what a group of people did when they got together recently for a school reunion in Parkes.

Students who finished Year 10 at Parkes High School in 1969 and Year 12 in 1971, gathered to reconnect, celebrate and reminisce at a dinner held at Gracelands, formally the student hostel. On display were all editions of the Currajong (school magazine) for the years 1966-1971 along with a collection of photographs and newspaper articles.

The event was initially planned to be held last year but was postponed due to Covid. Some guests had not seen each other in over fifty years and while name tags were helpful initially, they soon became superfluous as superior memories kicked in and old black and white images were matched with the real people.

The reunion was organised by Dorothy Hogan (nee Cheney), Karen Farrell (nee Barber) and Ross Coates and brought together local ex-students and many who had travelled, some from interstate, to attend the festivities.

It became clear that one dinner would not be enough time for all the chatting and sharing to be completed and so the weekend developed into a series of dinners, coffee meetings and breakfasts. Sight-seeing was another popular activity. Tales of students, teachers and events took on epic proportions while some re-lived the many sports and concerts participated in. It was evident that fond memories of Parkes, school and the people who shared their growing up, are held in the hearts of this cohort.

Now, the group has dispersed to rest their vocal cords, investigate or upgrade their skills on social media and rummage for more photographic and film evidence for the next reunion, which all agree will be in the not too-distant future.

By Kerrie Peden

Fifty years on for the Class of ’71 at the reunion at Hotel Gracelands recently.

Snippets…

April 29, 2022 By Maggi Barnard

Congratulations to Hayley who won the 11 – 16 age cate-gory of the Parkes Phoenix Easter Colouring Competition! Here she is with her Packed Cones gift voucher prize.

Forbes Heritage Festival: The festival takes place in Victoria Park in the heart of Forbes’ heritage district on tomorrow (Saturday) from 10am to 2pm. The park will transform into a scene from days past, with live demonstrations from heritage trades including blacksmiths, cheese making, woodturning and more. Learn more about the town’s rich heritage with displays from the Forbes Historical Society and Forbes Family History Group, and settle in for some tall tales at the Bush Telegraph stage. Get up close and personal with some amazing vintage vehicles from the Forbes Historical Machinery Association and sample freshly cooked, award-winning damper from the Annual CWA Damper Competition, cooked over real coals on site! Roving bushrangers from the interactive theatre troupe Convict Footprints will set your heart racing with their daring adventures, while Swamp Dawkins Bush Band are sure to have you up and dancing. Enjoy a fun-filled, free family day out.

Flood Waste Turned Into Mulch: Rural Aid has helped Northern Rivers farmers turn rotting flood waste into a healthy by-product for soil improvement, through a partnership with Multikraft Probiotic Solutions. Multikraft’s MicroBalance product was sprayed by helicopter onto 33 farms in northern NSW last week. The probiotic solution is a multi-strain microbial product, that benefits soil health by quickly decomposing flood debris and organic matter into useful mulch. Wardell Macadamia grower Robbie Commens described the past few months as ‘incredibly overwhelming’. “We had about a metre and a half of water over all of our trees.” The product and its aerial application were distributed to Rural Aid farmers free of charge. More than 4,500 acres were sprayed.

Renewable Energy Projects In The Bush: The NSW Government is urging farmers and people in regional parts of NSW to provide input into the Agriculture Commissioner’s review into on-farm renewable energy facilities. Minister for Agriculture and Western NSW Dugald Saunders said he was pleased the Commissioner was making strong progress in considering the issues associated with growing the renewable energy sector whilst still protecting agricultural land. The Agriculture Commissioner Daryl Quinlivan is inviting submissions from all parties involved in or impacted by the development of the agricultural renewable energy sector to have their say by making a submission. To access the issues paper and to provide a written submission, visit www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/agriculture/lup. Submissions close 5pm, 23rd May.

Mahaiia won the 0 – 5 age category of the Parkes Phoe-nix Easter Colouring Competition! Congratulations! Hope you enjoy your Packed Cones gift voucher prize.

Be Seen

April 29, 2022 By Maggi Barnard

The Elvis Street Parade on Saturday drew a huge crowd of over 7,000 people with many participants dressed up for the Speedway theme.

Sophy Jones took her pet lamb for a walk on Anzac Day to meet John Bogey and his horse.

Major General J Paul Stevens, AO (retired) was the guest speaker at Monday’s Anzac Day commemoration.

Precious Collection Of Festival’s First ETA At Henry Parkes Museum

April 20, 2022 By Maggi Barnard

One of the photos of Eddie Youngblood that was donated to the museum; The drum skin and sticks signed by DJ Fontana, who was a drummer for Elvis, on display at the Henry Parkes Museum; Michelle Youngblood with the first eagle suit that was made for an Australian by Gene Doucette of B & K Enterprises Costume Co.

The Henry Parkes Museum received a very special donation recently that will be its feature display this Parkes Elvis Festival in memory of the first tribute artist to perform at the inaugural Parkes Elvis Festival.

Eddie Youngblood, who suddenly passed away on 1st March 2021, returned for two more festivals and his dying wish was that his Elvis costume collection and items be donated to Parkes.

Last month Eddie’s partner of 34 years, singer and dancer Michelle Youngblood, arrived in Parkes with a car load of precious items. The collection includes the famous eagle suit. “Eddie was the very first Australian to have the eagle suit made for him by Gene Doucette of B & K Enterprises Costume Co,” said Michelle. She also donated his blue owl suit, which was specifically made for Eddie.

Another very precious item is a drum skin and drum sticks signed by DJ Fontana, who played the drums for Elvis for 14 years. DJ toured with Eddie for six weeks in Australia.

The donation also includes his ’68 Comeback Special leather outfit, two jackets, a 50s microphone, three LP records, his MO Awards, photos and some of his sheet music.

Eddie was born in the Victorian coastal town of Apollo Bay in 1956. After his family moved around Victoria for several years, they went to Townsville in Queensland. He got his first taste of showbiz when he entered a high school talent quest and won the audience prize of $10.

He served his apprenticeship in talent quests and went on to create a tribute show around the music of his idol, Elvis Presley. ‘The Golden Years of Elvis’ and ‘Idolz in Concert’ became massive hits in clubs and casinos around the country. Eddie was revered by his peers as one of the first and most successful tribute acts, long before the phenomena it became decades later.

Eddie was awarded ‘Best Variety Production Show’ for two consecutive years in the 1984 and 1985 MO Awards.

In 1983/4 he starred in the original Australian production of ‘Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat’ in the role of Pharaoh with Angela Ayers and Daryl Cotton.

He became a regular performer on most Australian variety entertainment television show in the 80s and 90s. In 1991 he starred in the pre-game entertainment at the NRL Grand Final at the Sydney Football Stadium with a television audience of 45,000.

In 2003 Eddie took on the role of marketing and entertainment manager at Club Forster where he worked until his death. The auditorium at the club was renamed in honour of Eddie last year.

When asked about the secret of being a successful ETA, Eddie said: “I’ve always said it’s the passion, dedication, hard work and understanding that you are yourself not anyone else. It’s your heart, soul and respect of the music and the man that makes you sincere and genuine in the eyes of your audience.”

Fill Up Your Passport

April 20, 2022 By Maggi Barnard

The Forbes Business Chamber is pleased to support the Parkes Elvis Festival and the Tourism and Events team of the Forbes Shire Council by introducing a Shopping Passport. One thousand copies of the Passport have been put into the Elvis promotional bags and handed out to participating businesses. The passport is to encourage visitors to explore the CBD and businesses. The Elvis Festival is one of the larger events which Forbes is lucky to be able to piggy-back on by offering accommodation, events and activities that encourage visitors to stay longer and enjoy our beautiful town,” said Marg Duggan, President of the Forbes Business Chamber.

He Was There – Charles Stone And His Time With Elvis

April 20, 2022 By Maggi Barnard

Don’t miss this once-in-a lifetime opportunity to hear from Charles Stone at the Parkes Elvis Festival and ask questions in two informative sessions. See him at the Parkes Little Theatre at 1pm on Friday, 22nd April and 4pm on Sunday, 24th April.

For the first time in Australia, and only at the Parkes Elvis Festival, you will be able to listen to stories from Charles Stone.

Charles joined forces with Elvis and his manager Colonel Tom Parker in the 1970s and toured around America. He took care of business until Elvis’ death in 1977.

Charles has worked with many amazing talents throughout his career, and has years of memories and personal stories to share, but nothing compares to his time spent on tour and in Vegas with Elvis, the Colonel, and all the enthusiastic, supportive fans.

There is nothing he enjoys more than having the opportunity to relive his Elvis years as he shares his memories and experiences during frequent speaking engagements around the world.

How did you get connected with the Parkes Elvis Festival?

I have always wanted to visit Australia and my friend Alicia Dean at Graceland recommended me to the festival and we were able to work something out so I could come this year.

How do you feel about coming to the Parkes Elvis Festival?

I am so excited to be coming and just cannot wait to be there. It has been on my bucket list for a long time. Bruce Jackson was one of my best friends.

What have you heard about the Parkes Elvis Festival?

I really had not heard much about it until Mark Anthony told me about it. He said it was one of the best Elvis festivals anywhere. I look forward to meeting Elvis fans and sharing my stories with Elvis and the Colonel.

Are you surprised that a small country town in the middle of Australia has such a big Elvis Festival?

When I looked Parkes up on the map, I was totally amazed that such a large festival was in the middle of nowhere so to speak. I live in Texas and we have places in the middle of nowhere as well but not as big as Australia’s.

When you were touring with Elvis, did you ever think his legacy would live on for so many years and all over the world?

Touring with Elvis, none of us ever thought that his legacy would live on like it has all over the world. I don’t think he ever thought it would be what it is.

Why do you think Elvis has such an enduring legacy after all these years?

Elvis was one of a kind. He was not only the greatest singer in the world, he made rock and roll worldwide. And for the girls of course he was a very good-looking man.

What is your favourite memory of your time with Elvis?

My most memorable time with him was when he asked for my wife and daughter to come to the dressing room at a concert and take a photo with him.

Do you have a favourite Elvis song, or one that brings back good memories?

I don’t really have one favorite song but I do like ‘If I could Dream’ and ‘Laudy Miss Claudy’.

Run Elvis Run

April 20, 2022 By Maggi Barnard

How many Elvii can the Northparkes Oval parkrun attract? Be there on Saturday for the 5km challenge at 8am. (Photo: Hartford Courant)

If you are a regular parkrun participant, then you should be at the Northparkes Oval on Saturday, 23rd April at 8am for the first ever Elvis-themed parkrun!

Put on your blue suede running shoes for this brand-new Elvis Festival event as the Northparkes Oval parkrun celebrated its first birthday only last month.

While the whole town will be filled with people dressed in Elvis jumpsuits and Speedway-themes costumes, there is no way parkrun participants should miss out on such a golden opportunity to rock ‘n roll an Elvis parkrun!

Dressing up for a parkrun is not something new, but only in Parkes will you get the opportunity to do an Elvis parkrun.

“The volunteers will join in too, and there will be Elvis music to cheer everyone on,” said parkrun organiser Ronel van Wyk.

With so many visitors to town during the Elvis Festival, the parkrun organisers are eager to get a good turnout for the weekly 5km event.

Elvis might not have done running as a sport, but he would probably have been proud of this effort as he was a big sports participant and fan. When he wasn’t on stage, in a studio or on the big screen, there’s a good chance you could find Elvis Presley playing football, or watching his favourite teams compete on TV. He played football on the grounds at Graceland.

So come along on Saturday, 23rd April and be part of this historic first Elvis parkrun. Parkruns are free, weekly, community events all around the world on a Saturday morning at 8am. It usually takes place in parks and open spaces over 5km. The event is open to everyone whether you are running, jogging or walking. There is no time limit and no one finishes last.

Maggi Barnard

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