Thousands of people from Forest Lake and surrounds attended the Forest Lake Community Carols on Saturday December 7, with the annual event bringing the community together again in the spirit of Christmas.
The event, organised by the Forest Lake Community Events Association and sponsored by Heritage Bank Forest Lake Branch, provided four hours of community fun at the Forest Lake State School oval.
Families enjoyed free face painting, rides, food trucks, drink vans and more from 4 – 6pm, followed by two hours of Christmas hits lead by local performers.
Local singers Amy Winner-West, David Winner, Kerryn Thorne, Oliver Dobrenov, Kat Sushchinski, Kirk Winner and Tammy Mathieson lead the audience through crowd-favourite carols.
Songs included We Three Kings, Silent Night, When a Child is Born, Frosty the Snowman, Jingle Bell Rock, We Wish You a Merry Christmas, Rudolph, and many more.
The Grand Avenue State School choir opened with a performance of Deck the Halls, followed by performances from the Pallara State School choir, Forest Lake State School, and Zaisha and Annesha from the Sargham Music Academy.
Allstars Performing Arts dance and acrobatics students performed several Christmas dances, and supported the large group performance of Jingle Bells and a final Christmas medley.
The evening was MC’d by Greg Braithwaite, and Forest Lake Baptist Church reverend Mark Mackay delivered a special Christmas message about the birth of Jesus.
Santa and Mrs Clause made an appearance on an original 100-year-old St George fire engine, kindly lent by Forest Lake local Ralf Challenger while their reindeer-powered sleigh was being serviced at the North Pole.
Many local community groups also attended and contributed to the festivities on the night, and event goers enjoyed a broad variety of food trucks, coffee, and market stalls.
The night concluded with a stunning fireworks display that lit up the sky at 8 pm.
The Forest Lake Community Events Association team, lead by president Kylie Gates, vice president Katrina Spencer and secretary Alanna Ngo were grateful to the many contributors who helped to make the annual event a success.
The Community Carols received funding from Heritage Bank, sound and lighting by Colin Holliday from Greenlight Productions, sponsorship coordination by Nayda Hernandez and stage management assistance by Amy Winner.
