The Parkes Elvis Festival not only celebrates its 30th anniversary next year, but making it more significant is the fact that the current Festival Director is Tiffany Steel, whose parents Bob and Anne founded the festival. Bob and Anne came up with the idea after celebrating a birthday party for a friend at Graceland and she was a fan of Elvis music. Someone said they should have an Elvis music night and Anne said: “Why don’t we do it next January on Elvis’s birthday? They asked Eddie Youngblood, the only Elvis Tribute Artist at the time, and that became the very first Elvis Festival.
The petfood factory in Parkes, Pet Care Kitchen, commissioned art works from Wiradjuri artists in Parkes. Amber Jordan Brown (left) and Torin Hando worked on a sculpture that will be placed at the entrance, and Irene Ridgeway (right) did the painting called ‘Colours of my Country’. The painting was done in colours of the local environment and the patterns represent Wiradjuri markings.