With Australia's first Dolly Parton festival just over a month away, local businesses in Narromine are eager to prove the town knows how to throw a party and have a great time.
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"We have this chance to show people the best of what the town has to offer and that it's a great place to come and stay or stopover. Once people get here they will learn about what Narromine has to offer," said Kerry Ellen, manager of the Narromine Aerodrome Tourist Park which is already filling quickly for the festival weekend.
"The motel is already full, that happened pretty quickly. And we've got the caravan park already half-booked at the moment. But we've got plenty of campsites available."
The Narromine Dolly Parton Festival was first planned for 2020 but had to be delayed for two years due to the ongoing pandemic.
Now, it's set to go ahead at the Narromine Golf Club on the first Saturday of October with a whole line up of fun including a family-friendly street parade and market, local country musicians, tribute acts, a drag performance and costume competition.
A local entertainer herself, Ms Ellen will keep the Parton party going in the camp kitchen at the tourist park on Sunday morning with a cooked breakfast, live music, trivia, a dress-up photo booth and karaoke.
"I was really keen to see the program and see what was on offer and how we could get involved in supporting it, because I knew we'd have a lot of guests there," she said.
"I've been involved with the ABBA festival in Trundle - I was booked there to perform on the Saturday for about six years - I just looked around and saw all these people from everywhere and they're all dressed up ready to have a fun time, so we have to do everything we can to make it a fun time."
"I think Dolly Parton represents fun. You could say a lot of things to describe her as a person and an artist - but the fun element really stands out. And to get people to come to Narromine and get into the spirit of the fun of it is a great thing."
Usually known for workwear - Macquarie Clothing on Dandaloo Street in Narromine is also getting into the spirit of fun as the official merchandise partner for the event. Launched yesterday, the line of Dolly delights on sale in store includes tote bags, caps, t-shirts and "get your cans out" stubby holders.
"We worked with the organisers back when the first Dolly event was going to happen - but unfortunately COVID-19 knocked it out. So we wanted to get on board again this time, we wanted to work with them and make the merchandise really dolly themed," said Crystal Paine, one of the store's owners.
"It's all very exciting for little old Narromine. It's going to be great for the town, we'd love to see it get as big as the Elvis festival at Parkers but any boost for our small community will be great."
The event is being run with the support of the Narromine Shire Council and NSW Government. Last month, Member for Dubbo Dugald Saunders announced the festival would receive a $90,000 grant from the state government as part of their $25 million Reconnecting Regional NSW scheme.
"Coming and seeing what our little town is like may inspire people to explore some more. It's surprising the amount of people we're seeing post-COVID who are getting off the beaten track and seeing all these little towns - and a festival like this is a great medium for that," Ms Ellen.
"Narromine promises to make it a great weekend for anyone who makes the effort to come along."
Tickets for the main event cost just $15 and can be bought at 123tix.com.au - but the family-friendly street festival on the day is free. For more information about the event, including a full rundown of events, visit the festival's website.
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