THE best laid plans of event organisers don't always align with the more devious plans of the weather gods.
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And that was again the case on Saturday when crowds gathered at our heritage gem Bowenfels Station to mark 150 years since the railway arrived in Lithgow on its slow but steady march towards the west.
Rail and history buffs and lots of curious townsfolk turned out, if for no other reason than to marvel at the hissing giant Garrett locomotive.
But those mischievous weather gods regularly like to spoil a party and howling winds that seemed not far off a force nine gale whipped up an uncomfortable blend of cinders and dust to challenge the staying power of even the most enthusiastic train spotter.
Apart from that little inconvenience the big day went off well and brought a lot of visitors to town to enjoy whatever was on offer.
(Another vintage steamer will be doing a run from Lithgow next weekend to the Farmers Markets at Tarana then on to Bathurst).
De-stress in the garden
ON a related topic it's unfortunate that so many local residents admit to never taking the time to visit our unique attractions that we like to spruik to the outside world - our museums, Eskbank House, Zig Zag Railway, Blast Furnace Park Portland's Foundations, all that nostalgia stuff. So get off the couch to find out what we have so you can tell your out of town friends.
And here's a suggestion; the next sunny day that you feel like de-stressing take a good book and chill out in the admission free gardens of Eskbank House. It's a delightful showplace where our landed gentry of a long gone era once escaped the cares of the 19th Century world. They even provide tables and chairs if you want to take a picnic lunch and no one will mind if you doze off in the shade. Just a change from the similar attractions of QE Park, and as a bonus there's water available.
Fallen silent
IT was a disappointing loss to our day to day lifestyle options last week when our Community FM Radio station went off the air for the last time. No headbanger stuff came out of the little studio below the Trades Hall, just easy listening from a bygone era to help soothe the day. But no volunteer organisation can function without volunteers and the ever dwindling band of team members meant an inevitable outcome. The end for EZYFM came last week after 16 years on air and Lithgow will be poorer for the loss.
No helping hand
WHAT'S happened to our good manners? Spotted in Railway Parade during the Bathurst race weekend traffic blitz an unmarked Highway Patrol car briefly stranded in Lithgow's Railway Parade with a flat tyre and no one stopping to help. How rude!
Industrial strength
ALL-weather shelters have finally been installed as a welcome addition to Cook Plaza in Lithgow. It was something sorely needed but there's a body of opinion out there that the industrial strength design would probably be more at home on a mine site than in the town square. But heck, be grateful for whatever shelters you from the storm.
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