By Mikayla van Loon
Locals can prepare themselves for a spectacular evening of picnicking and carolling as the Emerald Carols makes a return to the Lake this Christmas.
In its fifth year, Emerald Carols coordinator Gill Birkett said it will be lovely to be back in person at the “iconic Emerald Lake” for what has become a tradition for residents in surrounding suburbs.
“We’re delighted to be back at the Lake with a live event again this year. We’ll be expecting, depending on the weather, around about 1000 people and we’re hoping they’ll really get excited about being there,” she said.
Despite rain for both the first and second years events, it was still able to draw crowds of 600 and then 1200 consecutively, with the pandemic taking the carols online for the last two years.
Gill said the partnership between Cardinia Shire Council, St Mark’s Anglican Church and Barry Plant, tries to ensure everything remains local to help support everyone in the community.
“We created an event that would be a true reflection of the community that’s really strong in our area. We didn’t want it to be particularly regional. We wanted it to be something that was really relatable and tied very closely to the unique community that we live in,” she said.
With the 60 piece Cardinia Civic Concert Band leading the music element, Selby locals OBG Productions are putting together the sound production and primary school students from a number of local schools will be performing prior to the formal carols.
Plus, there’ll be a visit from the man in the big red suit.
In the spirit of giving, Gill said donations on the day will also be collected for the volunteer services of the Emerald CFA and SES.
“One of the things we really like to do is to be able to make the event not just a celebration of what we get out of it but something that we can give as well.
“We’re really proud to have such a strong presence in our community with those volunteer organisations. So we’d like to, as part of our Carol’s event, include an opportunity for people to contribute to a cause beyond themselves as well.”
So, prepare a picnic and get ready to reserve a spot on the hill for the best view of the community carols at Emerald Lake on 16 December. Community picnic from 6pm to 7.30pm and the carols from 8pm to 9.30pm.
