After 12 months of preparations, the time has arrived for 25 local dancers and 42 of their family and friends to make their way to America for 10 days. For some, this will not only be their first trip overseas, but their first time on an aeroplane.

Kristen’s Dance School owner Kristen Woods offered the opportunity late last year to students who perform at Eisteddfods throughout the year and she has since been working hard with students, choreographing and rehearsing dances to perform at Disneyland and Universal Studios. The dancers have a busy schedule to follow with workshops and performances at Disneyland, Universal Studios and Hollywood. They will also go on a guided sightseeing tour of
LA, visiting Beverley Hills, Hollywood and Rodeo Drive.

Students and their families conducted several fundraising activities throughout the year to assist the dancers with the costs, receiving an overwhelming response. The tour is offered by Dance Around the World Tours, an established company with over 25 years experience in giving Choir, Dance and Band groups performance opportunities
and workshop experiences in the USA, Asia, Europe and the South Pacific.

Good luck and happy travels to all our aspiring dancers and their families. Enjoy your trip and we look forward to hearing about your accomplishments on your return!

Forbes Preschool Kindergarten will be the grateful recipients of a $7000 NSW Government grant that aims to improve access to preschool for children in rural and remote communities.

“It was a lovely surprise when Andrew Gee came out to visit us last Friday with a $7000 cheque to ensure all children can access a preschool education,” says Amy Shine, Director of the preschool. “The money will help support our new building project and increase the available spaces allowing more children access to preschool and we are committed to maintaining our low fees, which start at $5 a day.”

Member for Orange Andrew Gee said the initiative provides these types of grants to community preschools in outer regional, remote and very remote areas. “This initiative helps early educators connect with families who are not sending their children to preschool and ensures children who are located in rural areas are able to access a quality early childhood education,” Mr Gee said.

“The program is designed to support preschools’ outreach initiatives, improving engagement and universal access for hard to reach and vulnerable children in these areas.”

A big charity event is coming up in Forbes that you won’t want to miss out on! Save the date for Saturday 7 November and get out your best outfits for a night of fun and flamboyance for the Dancing with the Stars
Forbes competition at Forbes Services Memorial Club.

Dancing with the Stars will involve 20 stars who are all local identities forming 10 couples. Each couple will be dancing in a different style in order to win the title of Dancing with the Stars Champion of Forbes. “We have had an incredible response so far from the community with sponsorship and donations, and we hope to fill the Forbes Services Club to capacity,” says event organiser Cassandra Tyack.

The winning couple will receive a glitzy trophy kindly made and donated by Midpro Engineering. Doors will open at 6pm for a 6:30pm start. A light supper will be provided and guests are welcome to bring finger food as long it is not pre-cooked. A charity auction will be held as well as an amazing raffle and fantastic prizes up for grabs. Tables can take a maximum of 12 people but you don’t need to be able to fill a whole table to book.

Tickets are $45 per person, and must be purchased using cash or cheque. Credit cards and eftpos transactions will not be accepted. Tickets went on sale this week at the Forbes Services Memorial Club with all profits going towards Can Assist Forbes, an organisation providing direct financial assistance to people in country NSW affected by cancer.

Avoid disappointment and don’t leave it to the last minute – get in quick as tickets are expected to sell out fast!

If you like to get some of your Christmas shopping done early, this is a great opportunity to snag yourself a real bargain! Until Sunday 20 September, News on Rankin are proud to be offering 30% off all their giftware as a part of Destination Forbes. They have gifts for people of all ages, covering a range of interests and occasions, with staff who are friendly, helpful and always happy to assist you with your gift selection. News on Rankin is now a stockist of a great range of Penny Scallan Design products.

They also stock a massive collection of stationary, craft supplies, best-sellers, scratchies, art and plenty more. There is a variety of books on offer including up-to-date adults, childrens and educational books. If you can’t find what you’re looking for, the staff may be able to order it in for you. Looking for a printer cartridge at a great price? News on Rankin boasts the cheapest cartridges in the area.

Forget about driving elsewhere, it’s all about shopping locally in Forbes! Call in to News on Rankin today to check out their exciting product range. News on Rankin are located at 70 Rankin Street and are open 7 days a week.

September sees snakes waking up from hibernation. Please be aware of this when out in the paddocks, stock routes and around town with your animals. If your animal displays any of the following signs ring the vet straight away for advice as they are the most common signs we see with brown snake bites:
• Collapse
• Difficulty breathing
• Weakness
• Struggling to stand on its back legs
• Vomiting
• Colic if it is a horse

The Forbes area does have King Brown and Black snakes as well. These show different signs – a really painful, swollen bite site that is oozing blood. It is important to identify what snake has bitten your animal to assist us in knowing what anti-venom to give. Brown snakes and black snakes have different treatments. If you are unsure what it is and if it is possible and safe to do so a photo of the snake’s head will help us, otherwise we can do tests on your animal to try and work it out.

Cats can go for up to 12 hours before they start showing signs, dogs will usually show signs within 2 hours of a brown snake bite. Please bring in all animals who have possibly been in contact with the snake for assessment as some animals show absolutely no signs before it is too late. If in doubt please call the clinic for advice or bring your animal straight in. It is better to be safe than sorry.

Young Appaloosa Western Breeds Association (YAWBA) are a Forbes based organisation who work tirelessly to live their passion of showing horses. “We all work on this every day of the week,” said Stevie Jackson, Secretary of YAWBA. “We have big ambitions!”

In their second year, YAWBA are holding their first show of the season on Saturday 26 September. “The whole thing went so well last year that it seems like the sky is the limit,” said YAWBA Vice President Leah Helwig. “So this year we are going to keep getting bigger and better.” “We wanted to give something for kids and families to take part in, and so they could come and learn about a different perspective of the western show industry,” Stevie said, “and we cater to everyone from the beginners to the serious competitors. It’s a fun family environment.”

“We cater for the elite, but you don’t have to be elite to be there,” said Leah. The YAWBA Shows are so popular, people travel long distances to take part. For the upcoming event, they have people travelling to the Young arena from Mudgee, Dubbo, Forbes, Goulburn, Yass and the Blue Mountains. There will be a massive range of prizes on offer as well as tickets for a huge raffle which will be drawn later in the year. The winning prize is a free stallion service to Riverdowns Mega Mr. Visit www.yawba.net for more information.

McDonald’s Forbes Restaurant Manager Justin Miller has embarked on a trip of a lifetime this week! He will be travelling to Los Angeles for the 2015 McDonald’s Restaurant Managers Convention; an exciting and rare opportunity. Justin left from Sydney on Monday and is set to have a life changing experience as he has never before been outside of the state of NSW.

“I was born and bred in Forbes,” Justin said last week before leaving. “The furthest I’ve ever been from home was Moree!” The convention will be about leadership practises, the knowledge and confidence of managers, working through any issues and trying to improve the business overall. “It’s a great opportunity to branch out and meet other country stores, see how they run and get up to standards with business practise,” Justin said.

Justin joins a group of 4 managers and a supervisor from the Forbes/Parkes/Cowra area who have gone to LA to attend the convention. As part of the program, they will get to visit Disneyland and Universal Studios in LA before heading to Las Vegas for a few days to look around.

A great initiative for women of all ages is taking off in Forbes to give ladies the space and opportunity to expand their knowledge in auto maintenance and repairs. The Ladies Auto Training Night runs from Nic’s Garage, a local family-run business that has just recently celebrated its 1st birthday, and encourages women to get their hands dirty and learn about a new aspect of self sustainability.

The most recent program ran over two nights with a philosophy of “teaching and empowering women to independently and fearlessly maintain their own cars”. Entry was free for women of all ages and complimentary champagne and nibbles were on offer for the two groups of women who came along.

“We wanted to talk about many things that a lot of women may not know,” said Felicity from Nic’s Garage, who came up with the idea earlier this year. “We covered things like how to jump start your car, how to change a tyre, how to check fluids and things like that.” “We also talked about what to look out for with certain bigger issues and problems, and then opened it up for questions to cover more specific things.”

When it comes to vehicle maintenance, Felicity knows how important and empowering it is to feel independent. “My dad was big on independence and he made sure that I knew all that stuff,” she said. “I always wanted to be a mechanic!” “It’s really good seeing the ladies walk away at the end of the night saying ‘I can do that’.” Nic and Felicity plan to keep running the Ladies Auto Night in the future, with another event coming up in December. It’s a great opportunity to get together for a girls night and have fun while expanding your auto knowledge.

Watch this space to find out more information about this amazing event aimed at empowering women!

The National BBQ Championships are fast approaching and local performer Cath Adams has been announced as the headline act for the event. Cath is a well-known Eugowra local who recently featured on The Voice 2015 as part of coach Jessie J’s team. She will provide live entertainment with her partner Adam from 4pm to 7pm.

With the committee gearing up for this year’s event, President Chris Roylance said this year could be the biggest and best yet. “The way this year’s event is coming together is unbelievable,” Chris said. “With Fast Ed Halmagyi and now Cath Adams on board, we hope to attract a strong regional crowd. It is very exciting.”

“Our focus this year has been to expand the event and provide more to see and do. With these two celebrities and our partnership with Relay for Life, we are confident that 17 October is going to be a cracking day for Forbes.”

Some other features of the 2015 National BBQ Championships are the introduction of wine and food tasting as well as an outdoor display area. You can browse the stands where you will get the chance to sample cheese and wine,
purchase merchandise and view the great range of outdoor products on display.

“The BBQ Championships are about bringing people together, having a bit of fun and putting Forbes on the map,” Chris said applauding the committee’s hard work in the effort to provide extra value at the event and more to see and do for both competitors and spectators.

“Browse the stands where you will be able to sample cheese and wine, purchase merchandise and view the great range of outdoor products on display.”

The Forbes Phoenix is a sponsor of the National BBQ Championships and this year the competition offers everything you would associate with the traditional Aussie BBQ. There are four categories of meat to be judged such as chicken, beef, pork and lamb.

The 2015 Forbes Show could just be the best one yet! This year is the 140th annual show and everybody is invited to go along and celebrate! This year has something for everyone, from the new event of full tilt jousting to the crowd
favourites of previous years like harness racing, the Showgirl competition, fireworks and so much more.

Saturday’s entertainment will include the dog high jump, the hay stacking competition, a pet show and a fun puppet show. Local talent includes Forbes Town Band, students from Forbes High School, Red Bend Catholic College and Forbes Primary School, the performers from Mitchell Conservatorium and local dance troupes.

Admire the skills and talents of our local cooks, crafters and artists, and don’t forget to check out the family Lego competition. Dairy, produce and livestock will be displayed and judged, showcasing the incredible things the region has to offer.

There is also a wide range of classes in the Growing Plants Section with everything from cut flowers, floral art and a class just for novices.

Don’t forget to stop at the photography exhibition with its massive range of classes including child study, nature study and human interest.

Find out who can grow the biggest pumpkin, who can decorate the best plate using vegetables, fruit or herbs, and who has the best barley, canola and wheat crops. The Showgirl judging will commence from 12pm on Saturday. Other classes include Miss Teenage Showgirl, Miss Junior Showgirl, Miss Tiny Tots and Master Stockman. This year there is over $1000 worth of incredible prizes up for grabs.

Tickets can be purchased from the Show Office and families can buy sheets of $1 ride coupons for $25 with the value of $30 which can be used anywhere in Show Alley. Show tickets are $15 for adults and $8 for pensioners with a concession card and children.