Woodville celebrates special anniversary

Woodville will be spinning wool, churning butter, milking cows and knitting this weekend.

To mark the formation of its first town board in 1885, Woodville is holding a weekend celebration full of events and activities that would have taken place back in the pioneering days.

Woodville Pioneer 2010 committee member Athol Sowry said they are expecting a huge turnout.

"We've invited 50 vintage car and truck clubs, but it's really unknown ... the actual numbers that will show up. Hopefully they all turn up," he said.

Mr Sowry's great-grandfather was the first chairman of the town board and he became the town's mayor.

The weekend will consist of a street parade with themed floats, vintage machinery and vehicles, clydesdale horses pulling a wagon, a peddler's market with pioneer-themed stalls, cheese and butter displays, a horse show and hangi in Fountaine Square.

Carole Wilton, Tararua i-Site manager, said the event had taken 10 months to organise. "It's taken a while to get everyone together but there has been a lot of community support. The backup for the event will be in the community centre, so we've thought of everything."

She said she was encouraging the 25 stallholders, at the peddler's market, to dress up in pioneer attire.

"We hope everyone who comes will dress up too."

A masquerade ball had been planned for Saturday night but has been postponed until June 19.

For more information, or to register for a stall, contact Carole Wilton on 063760217.

- © Fairfax NZ News