Top 10 things to do around the region

1) Parkrun Mackay

Saturday, March 13, 7am
Mackay Regional Botanic Gardens

Do you enjoy nature and exercise? Have you heard of the Mackay Parkrun? Join hundreds of fitness enthusiasts to walk, jog or run a 5km course through the beautiful Mackay Regional Botanic Gardens. The course is clearly marked, with volunteers to help guide you along the way. To find out more, or register to attend, visit the Parkrun website to register… www.parkrun.com.au.

2) Sunday opening at Gordon White Library

Sunday, March 14, 9am to noon
Gordon White Library
The Gordon White Library opens to the public on Sunday, to coincide with the Troppo Markets at Mount Pleasant. Enjoy this monthly experience by spending some quiet time in our modern library space and learn about the huge range of programs and resources on offer to the public... http://bit.ly/3c9eg4B.

3) Ask a Genie

Tuesday, March 16, 1pm to 3pm
Gordon White Library
Have you got a burning desire to learn more about your family history? Bring your queries to the library for assistance from a genealogy specialist. The Mackay Family History Society are on hand to assist with any questions regarding your family history, and help you research and piece together the past. No bookings are required… http://bit.ly/2PD5Pa1.

4) Greater Whitsunday Farmers’ Market

Wednesday, March 17, 7am to 11am
Bluewater Quay
Join the fresh local produce revolution and support our farmers by buying seasonal, local produce straight from the farmer. Want to know who will be selling at the markets each week? Head to the Greater Whitsunday Farmers’ Market Facebook page every Tuesday, where you will find all the details of markets stall and produce listed… http://bit.ly/369yDth.

5) Conversations with Art

Friday, March 19, 1pm to 2.30pm
Artspace Mackay
Conversations with Art is a free and enjoyable discussion led by Artspace staff, looking at
images of traditional and contemporary artworks from gallery and museum collections from around the world. Whether you’re an artist, an art and language lover, beginner, or expert, we invite you to come along for this casual conversation to talk about the art, deconstructing the works, considering themes, possible techniques used by the artists and creating links with our own personal experiences. Book your space… http://bit.ly/3qrvM9t .

6) BOTANIC GARDENS CAPTURED

From now until March 28
Lagoons Gallery, Mackay Regional Botanic Gardens Café
The second exhibition from the Botanic Gardens Photo Walkabout Group, showcasing garden activity from camera enthusiasts ranging from beginners to advanced photographers using cameras on smart phones to DSLR. This exhibition is available for viewing from now until Sunday, March 28, in the Lagoons Gallery within the Botanic Gardens Café. The café is open Tuesdays, 9am to 1pm, Wednesday to Friday 9am to 2pm and weekends 8am to 4pm… http://bit.ly/3r4p6z8

7) TONY DRUERY: HORIZONS

Until May 16
Foyer Gallery, Artspace Mackay
Tony Druery (1964 - 2016) was an artist and educator in the Mackay community, creating images that spoke to his love of the water, the Australian outback and scenes closer to home. His dynamic fish-eye views of Mackay’s construction boom in the late 2000s capture a rapidly changing cityscape at an important time in the town’s recent history.

8) DYLAN MOONEY: THE WALL

Until May 12
Foyer Gallery, Artspace Mackay
The Wall is an artist-in-residence exhibition program offering Australian artists the opportunity to create site-specific artwork directly onto the gallery’s foyer wall. Now in its sixth iteration, Artspace Mackay hosts Mackay-raised Dylan Mooney, an emerging Yuwi, Torres Strait Islander, and Australian South Sea Islander artist. Mooney’s practice includes prints and drawings inspired by First Nations history, culture, and personal ancestry. Mooney’s residency will include archival research and learning on Country about traditional Yuwi shield-making and other material cultures of the region’s First Peoples.

9) A CHANGING ECOLOGY

Until May 16
Foundation Gallery, Artspace Mackay
Drawing from historical and contemporary works held in the Mackay Regional Council Art Collection and Mackay Libraries’ Heritage Collection, A Changing Ecology explores representations of Mackay and greater Queensland’s flora and fauna since colonisation.

10) RON MCBURNIE: IN SEARCH OF ARCADIA

Until May 16
FIELD Engineers Gallery, Artspace Mackay
Ron McBurnie is a leading Townsville-based artist and educator, drawing inspiration from early traditions of British and European printmaking and painting. In 2019 and 2020 McBurnie completed an extended artist residency with Artspace Mackay, capturing beloved landscapes and views of this region en plein air. The resulting suite of work on paper will be shown together in a major celebration of the beauty of Mackay and its surroundings, from Cape Hillsborough beaches to cane fields in Eton.

Reminders:

Queensland Symphony Orchestra - Firebird, An Instrumental Spectacular

Saturday, March 20, 2021, 7.30pm to 9.30pm
The MECC

The Queensland Symphony Orchestra will host one of the greatest pianists Queensland has ever produced, Piers Lane, to perform Franz Liszt’s monumental first concerto for piano and orchestra and the MECC is bringing this live experience to Mackay through a free, livestreamed event straight from the Queensland Performing Arts Centre (QPAC). Firebird features music by a few of the masters - Franz Liszt, Weber and Stravinsky. Book your spot… https://bit.ly/3rDcLC4.

MAYOR’S CHARITY BALL

Saturday, May 15, 2021, 6pm till late
The MECC
The highly anticipated Mayor’s Charity Ball is back in 2021, after the 2020 event was postponed due to COVID-19. Led by a community-based committee, this year’s event is set to be extremely popular, with exciting plans underway. In 2019, the Mayor’s Charity Ball broke records to raise $121,000 for Mackay children impacted by domestic and family violence. Tickets go on sale Friday, March 19, 2021.