WBS Big Switch to kick start Greytown Festival of Christmas this Saturday 1 July
The annual Greytown Festival of Christmas returns with a flurry of excitement this July.
Snow is in the forecast for this years’ mid-winter festival, and Greytown is set to be transformed into a winter wonderland for the entire month. Locals, businesses, community groups and friends are gearing up for jam-packed programme of events, workshops, food, live music and fun, as well as a special Matariki programme.
The first major act of the 2023 festival is the “WBS Big Switch”, which kicks off from 3pm on Saturday 1 July. Head along to catch a first glimpse of the festive atmosphere, see the lighting get turned on for the first time, grab a bite to eat from the food trucks, browse the night markets, get a selfie in the “snow”, and enjoy a spectacular fireworks display at 7pm (remember to put your four-legged friends indoors from 6.58pm – 7.15pm).
In line with this year’s festival theme “Let it Snow” 3000 snowflakes have been distributed to schools and preschools throughout the region for children to decorate and bring along to hang on the Community Christmas Tree on opening night. There will also be a collection box for the Community Food Banks there, where people can donate non-perishable food items throughout the month for collection.
Other Festival highlights include workshops and crafternoons for kids and adults, a family-friendly Winter Fete at Cobblestones, Matariki Stargazing and weaving, a Cocktails and Comedy Season at The White Swan, a Fashion Through the Ages show, a Snowman Hunt, and a Woolshed Movie Night hosted by Greytown School.
Retailers will be offering special deals and prizes, and restaurants, bars and cafes will have festive food and beverages on the menu.
If you have friends visiting who would like to decorate a snowflake to hang on the tree on 1 July, they can be collected from The Offering Café here in Greytown, WBS at 125 Queen Street Masterton, or any library in Wairarapa. See the full programme here static1.squarespace.com...
⚠️ DOGS DIE IN HOT CARS. If you love them, don't leave them. ⚠️
It's a message we share time and time again, and this year, we're calling on you to help us spread that message further.
Did you know that calls to SPCA about dogs left inside hot cars made up a whopping 11% of all welfare calls last summer? This is a completely preventable issue, and one which is causing hundreds of dogs (often loved pets) to suffer.
Here are some quick facts to share with the dog owners in your life:
👉 The temperature inside a car can heat to over 50°C in less than 15 minutes.
👉 Parking in the shade and cracking windows does little to help on a warm day. Dogs rely on panting to keep cool, which they can't do in a hot car.
👉 This puts dogs at a high risk of heatstroke - a serious condition for dogs, with a mortality rate between 39%-50%.
👉 It is an offence under the Animal Welfare Act to leave a dog in a hot vehicle if they are showing signs of heat stress. You can be fined, and prosecuted.
SPCA has created downloadable resources to help you spread the message even further. Posters, a flyer, and a social media tile can be downloaded from our website here: www.spca.nz...
We encourage you to use these - and ask your local businesses to display the posters if they can. Flyers can be kept in your car and handed out as needed.
This is a community problem, and one we cannot solve alone. Help us to prevent more tragedies this summer by sharing this post.
On behalf of the animals - thank you ❤️
Poll: Would you rather: Christmas in summer forever or winter forever?
Just a bit of a fun poll to get you thinking.
If you had to live out your Christmas days, would you prefer it was a summer Christmas or a winter Christmas?
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61.4% Summer
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37% Winter
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1.7% Other - I'll share below
Would you like a free copy of our February 2025 issue?
Kia ora neighbours. We give away free copies to readers whose recipes are used in our magazine. We're still on the hunt for tomato recipes, so send your family's favourite way to use up your homegrown harvest, to: mailbox@nzgardener.co.nz. If we use it in the mag, you will receive a free copy of the mag
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