An event born from the ashes of the former Cork & Fork festival will rise in vibrant and delicious glory at Noreuil Park, Albury, next month.
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The new post-COVID food and wine festival, Beats & Eats, is a free community event to be held on the river's foreshore on Saturday, February 3, from 5pm to 9pm.
People of all ages and stages are invited to tempt their tastebuds with offerings from locally-sourced food suppliers while grooving or sitting back to enjoy the sounds of talented local musicians.
Tasty street food will include wood-fired pizzas, authentic African food, slow-cooked brisket, barbecue sausages, donuts, ice cream and much more.
Local brewery, The Thirsty Devil, will offer a range of boutique beer, ginger beer and some cheeky cocktails, while Sam Miranda will have wines and a full range of soft drinks for sale (with EFTPOS facilities available).
Underlying this fun-filled event on a balmy summer evening is the serious work of raising funds to help deliver education programs for Congolese refugee children who have been forced to flee to Kenya.
The event is being hosted by the Rotary Club of Albury Hume and RAWCS (Rotary Australia World Community Service) who are supporting the work of the Shuka Foundation.
But event organiser and Rotarian Gordon Shaw says Beats & Eats is not about Rotary.
"It's about creating a community event where everyone is welcome - to gather and enjoy the great place in which we live," Mr Shaw said.
"At the same time we will be doing something for a very worthy cause."
Support for the event has extended into the sporting community with Albury Tigers footballers and netballers offering their labour to act as bar staff for Beat & Eats.
During winter, Rotary Club of Albury Hume members staff the gates at the Tigers' home matches at the Albury football ground.
Live entertainment will include performances by The African Choir, Drummers and Dancers from Albury's own African community.
Meanwhile the 'Pure Pats', a duo consisting of Pat Thurtell and Pat Westwood, have united their talents to "seamlessly blend their individual styles to create an easy-listening experience covering great music from the past 50 years".
Thurtell has a solid background in classical piano and a wealth of experience in folk, classic rock, funk and soul genres, while Westwood (classically trained in in trumpet and piano) has found his niche in country, classic rock and folk, all skilfully showcased through his acoustic guitar.
Organisers are inviting friends and family, young and old, to bring along a picnic blanket and a few chairs to kick back and enjoy the event.
