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Kids’ parties: not just ‘beer and skittles’
A lot of coffee for Bluesfest
Bluesfest attracted merely 6000 patrons when it started in 1990, but now attracts more than 100,000. It’s a big crowd, and this year you might expect them to be a bit wet, a bit muddy, and very keen to get a cup of coffee.
Children’s birthday parties are an integral part of their memories when they grow up, but can be stressful for the hosting parent. Photo: Andy Mac.
If your idea of hosting your child’s birthday is sitting on a sun-warmed deck, drinking your way through your cellar with a group of like-minded parents while your children play happily nearby, then you’ll also realise that it takes a bit more effort than it sounds.
take their social cues from you, just as I thought the ‘Ben Ean Moselle’ ad represented the ultimate in party fun as a child in 1970s Sydney.
Nikki Buckland is a local mother and founder of Meet Make Create. She can help you to give your children more than just beer and Not only do you need to skittles. ‘Children’s birthday serve the food, host games parties are an integral part of and create fun, you also need their memories when they to encourage positive interac- grow up, but can be stresstion among the youngsters. ful for the hosting parent at After all, there’s the horrifying the time,’ says Nikki, who has prospect that your children some very good ideas.
Chocolate Lounge
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Hot Chocolate
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Milkshakes
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Fudge
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Light meals
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‘We have a variety of options for creative parties either in our studio or at your choice of location. We arrange the creative activity, which then doubles as the goodie bag (goodbye sugar-filled highs and lows), we craft, laugh, have fun, create the unforgettable memories, clean up and exit stage left, while you enjoy the fun stuff with your children and their guests.’
You might be wondering what it takes to supply coffee at Bluesfest. The coffee, cups, grinders and machines are supplied by Bun Coffee, a local outfit whose coffee roasting business is located in Byron Bay. However, the actual staffing of the machines is organised by Bluesfest itself. This will be Bun Coffee’s seventh Bluesfest, so you would expect that they have the numbers down pat. During Bluesfest Bun Coffee will sell 30,000 BioCups of coffee, use 200 kilograms of 100 per cent organic certified fair-trade coffee beans to feed the six coffee machines running non-stop
Nikki quotes Albert Einstein: ‘Creativity is intelligence having fun’. Young children fizz with creativity and I believe that every child is born creative. By encouraging creativity and imagination, we are promoting children’s ability to explore and comprehend their world and increasing their opportunities to make new connections and reach new understandings,’ she says.
that will last a lifetime. Apart from parties, we provide unique and inspirational creative workshops and believe that empowering kids to use their imagination to explore, take risks and experiment leads to creative thinking and problem solving. Empowerment and creativity produces beautiful art!’ she says.
‘Meet Make Create have created a thriving community of kids eager to use their imaginations, make new friends and create memories
For more information email hello@meetmakecreate. com.au or www.meetmakecreate.com.au or phone 1300 599 511.
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at three sites: the Big Red Tent in the middle of the Bluesfest site near the Crossroads Stage has three machines; two other sites are outside the perimeter fence in the camping areas. The camping machines operate from 6am until midday and can get very busy around breakfast time so don’t be late!
BLUESFEST GOING AHEAD AS PLANNED Despite the wet weather at Bluesfest, and some water over the carpark areas, longtime Festival director Peter Noble says that the Bluesfest site, ‘did not get the level of rainfall that other nearby areas experienced.’ If you are camping, he added, ‘please know that our campgrounds have not been damaged.’ The extensive weatherproofing put in place will enable the Festival to ‘go as planned’, with Bluesfest being over 93 per cent sold out as of Monday 3 April, he said.
If you are a food grower, you probably always have your radar on, listening out for new ideas on developing food ventures, opening up new markets for your products, thinking of new products or even the possibility, perhaps, of on-farm tourism. This Thursday there is an opportunity to hear firsthand from four people with experience in developing what Northern Rivers Food calls ‘Alternative paths to new markets’. Deb Allard of Cheeses Loves You set up a new dairy in Burringbar. Johnson Hunter of The Farm has learnt a few lessons in The Farm’s first two years of trading, Andrew Cameron from Byron Creek Farm has set up a new chickenmeat business. All three will talk about their experiences, and Jane Laverty from the NSW Business Chamber will also offer her top tips for dealing with councils. And you can ask questions, have some nibblies and you get a couple of drinks. Thursday 6 April 5.30–8pm at The Old Bakery, Harvest Newrybar. Bookings https://register.eventarc.com/37779/ nrf-qa-alternate-paths-to-new-markets
Luxury accommodation, with a dining experience, local craft beers & wines to match.
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22 April 5, 2017 The Byron Shire Echo
288 Rouse Street Tenterfield NSW 2372
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