Rockabilly and hot rods.
THE GreazeFest Kustom Kulture Festival is bringing cool cars, rockabilly music, fashion and pin-ups, vintage bikes, low-rider cycles, low-brow art, pinstripers, markets and more to Springvale.
There’ll be live bands, DJs, market stalls, displays and more than 800 hot rods.
– Sandown Racecourse, 591-659 Princes Highway, Springvale. Saturday 9 and Sunday 10 August, 10am to 9pm. Tickets are $23 per day in advance, or $28 at the door. All ages are welcome. Kids under 15 will be admitted free. Visit www.greazefest.com for tickets or more information.
Meditation retreat
THE Open Door is holding a Winter Meditation Retreat Day, for anyone seeking winter stillness.
Participants will embrace sound and silence, movement and stillness with meditation and also a creative nature space.
– The Open Door, 110 Ann Street, Dandenong. Sunday 17 August, 9.30am to 2.30pm. A $10 donation is suggested. A light lunch will be provided. Bookings are essential. Call Trish or Jo on 9791 8664.
Carer support
GROW-Better Together Carers Group is for friends and family of those affected by mental health issues.
It holds free and confidential meetings twice a month in Dandenong.
– Call 1800 558 268 or visit www.grow.net.au for more information.
Gaslight 30th anniversary show
THE Gaslight Company has been a firm favourite with morning music audiences for 30 years.
Its 30th birthday show will be a mix of music from hit shows including The Great Music Hall, Best Of British Pops, Waltzing Australia, Peter Allen Songbook and Lloyd Webber and Friends.
– Drum Theatre, corner Lonsdale and Walker streets, Dandenong. Wednesday 6 and Thursday 7 August, 10.30am to 11.45am. Tickets are priced from $14.50. Call 8571 1666 or visit www.drumtheatre.com.au.
Urban knitting workshops
LEARN about the variety of textile arts – knitting, crocheting, embroidery, dyeing and more – at these interactive workshops for all ages.
Participants will create an artwork to contribute to a large-scale urban knitting installation, which will become part of a larger project to adorn Dandenong’s civic square during August.
The free workshops are part of textiles exhibition Cultural Threads.
– Dandenong Civic Centre, Community Room, 225 Lonsdale Street, Dandenong. Thursday 7 and Saturday 9 August, 10am-12.30pm and 1.30-4pm. Bookings are essential. Call 8571 5141.
Neil Diamond tribute
NEIL Diamond’s Hot August Night – The Anniversary Tribute Show is coming to Dandenong.
Three-piece band the Diamantes and Dominic Finley – a British singer-songwriter and former member of ’80s chart toppers Cutting Crew – will perform the classic album in its entirety.
– Drum Theatre, corner Lonsdale and Walker streets, Dandenong. Saturday 9 August, 8pm. Call 8571 1666 or visit www.drumtheatre.com.au for tickets.
Market Sunday
SPRINGVALE Rotary Sunday Market is held on the second Sunday of each month.
It features trash and treasure, plants, clothes, tools and lots more.
– Opposite Sandown Park Railway Station, corner Lightwood and Lawn roads, Springvale. Sunday 10 August, 8am to 2pm. Stalls are $10 and public entry is a gold coin donation.
Computer games
THE Springvale Computer Market is on the second and fifth Sunday of each month.
– Springvale Town Hall, 397 to 405 Springvale Road, Springvale. Sunday 10 August, 10am to 4pm. Entry is $3 per person and free for kids aged under 10 years.
Craft day
THE Noble Park Country Women’s Association meets on the second and fourth Mondays of each month.
The second Monday is a free craft day, where participants can learn something new or bring along a work in progress.
– Paddy O’Donoghue Centre, 18 to 34 Buckley Street, Noble Park. Monday 11 August, 10am to 1.30pm. Call 9547 7261 for more information.
Interfaith Network Tour
THIS tour is an opportunity to visit the places of worship of the local faith and spiritual communities and see the diversity within the area.
– Wednesday 13 August, 9am to 3pm. Bookings are essential. The tour is $25 per person, including a Many Faiths, One People booklet. Visit www.interfaithnetwork.org.au or call Helen Heath on 9546 8441 for more information.
Game On
THE Game On Basketball Program is for 12 to 25-year-olds who enjoy basketball and breakdancing.
Participants can join in the casual basketball games with their own team or join another team, and there’s a large stage for breakdancing rehearsal.
City of Greater Dandenong’s Youth Services runs the free program.
– Noble Park Community Centre, Memorial Drive, Noble Park. Mondays, 4.30pm to 7pm (except public holidays). Call 9793 2155 or Facebook message www.facebook.com/cgdyouthservices for more information.
Relay for Life
GREATER Dandenong Relay for Life is looking for teams, volunteers and entertainment.
The event is an opportunity to celebrate cancer survivors, remember loved ones lost and fight back against cancer.
– Ross Reserve, Memorial Drive, Noble Park. Saturday 11 October, 4pm to Sunday 12 October, 10am. Call Elyce Carlyle on 0409 153 254 for more information, or register at www.relayforlife.org.au.
Knitting together
ARTIST Kate Just will lead a community textiles project in Dandenong.
Participants will learn how to knit or develop their knitting skills, while contributing to a growing artwork made by the community.
It’s part of City of Greater Dandenong’s Cultural Threads textiles celebration.
– The Shard (under the big screen), 225 Lonsdale Street, Dandenong. Every Monday and Friday in August, 11am to 2pm.
Site Lines
THIS exhibition by RMIT University architecture students is part of City of Greater Dandenong’s Cultural Threads textiles celebration.
Students have hand-stitched their perspective drawings as textile objects.
– Walker Street Gallery and Arts Centre, corner Walker and Robinson streets, Dandenong. Until 30 August.
Whitewash
ARTIST Michele Elliot has hand-stitched found clothing items to create abstract forms.
Her works invite the viewer to consider humanity, displacement and loss.
The Whitewash exhibition is part of City of Greater Dandenong’s Cultural Threads textiles celebration.
– Walker Street Gallery and Arts Centre, corner Walker and Robinson streets, Dandenong. Until 30 August.
All about orchids
DANDENONG and District Orchid Club meets monthly, holding an orchid flowering competition for everyone from novice to advanced growers.
Regular guest speakers provide expert advice and there are potting demonstrations, some plant sales and an annual show.
– Agricultural Society Admin Building, Greaves Reserve, Bennet Street, Dandenong. Friday 8 August and Friday 12 September. Doors open at 7pm for an 8pm start. Membership is $20 per year. Email menew@bigpond.com or call Ron Daniell on 0412 188 263 for more information.
Conversation Circles
STRIKE up a conversation, make new friends and develop knitting skills at this workshop.
The free event is part of City of Greater Dandenong’s Cultural Threads textiles celebration.
– Dandenong Library, 225 Lonsdale Street, Dandenong. Wednesday 13 August and 20 August, 10.30am to noon.
Cemetery tours
FRIENDS of Dandenong Cemeteries lead visitors through Dandenong Community Cemetery on a tour to discover the final resting places of many Dandenong pioneers.
Each tour is unique and runs for one and half hours.
– Dandenong Community Cemetery, Kirkham Road, Dandenong South. Sunday 17 August, 2pm to 3.30pm. The $15 cost includes light afternoon tea. Bookings are essential. Call 0411 399 449.
Koori Youth Group
THE Koori Youth Group is a place for indigenous young people to meet and get involved in music, art, sports and community events.
The free group meets each Monday during school terms.
– The Castle, Hemmings Park, Princes Highway, Dandenong. 4pm to 6.30pm. Call Youth Services on 9793 2155 or message them on Facebook www.facebook.com/cgdyouthservices for more information.
Avoid food waste
LEARN how to save money by reducing food waste and how to prepare delicious meals using leftovers.
This is a two-part workshop and there are free giveaways and prizes on offer.
– Dandenong Neighbourhood House, 34 King Street, Dandenong. Wednesdays 20 and 27 August, 10am to noon. Bookings are essential. Call 9793 4511.
Winter warmers
THIS food tour in central Dandenong covers multiple cuisines and takes about two hours.
The starting location is advised on booking.
– Thursday 21 August, 6pm to 8pm. The tour is $45 per person, including tastings and meal. Bookings are essential. Call 8571 1377 or visit www.greaterdandenong.com for bookings. Call 8571 1550 with inquiries.
Author visit
TINA Bui will visit the Springvale Library to present her book Vietnam: My Great Escape, From Peasant to Millionaire.
The true story highlights most of her young life during the tumultuous years of the Vietnam War.
– Springvale Library, 411 Springvale Road, Springvale. Friday 22 August, 7pm. Free event. Call 1300 630 920 for more information.
Plant a tree
TIRHATUAN Park will host a tree planting day, designed to help people experience nature and meet their community.
Participants will plant indigenous seedlings to green parks and reserves and support wildlife.
Bring warm clothes, a pair of gloves, a hand towel and suitable footwear. A barbecue lunch will be provided.
– Tirhatuan Park, Kriegel Way, Dandenong North. Saturday 23 August, 10am to 1pm. Bookings are essential. Call the Parks Unit on 8571 1702 for more information.
Grand fashion
THIS showcase of local fashion and design is the closing celebration for City of Greater Dandenong’s textiles celebration Cultural Threads.
There are garments designed and modelled by members of Dandenong’s TWICH South Sudanese Women’s Sewing Collective, a sewing collective established and run by South Sudanese women to create and sell traditional African hand-made clothing inspired by contemporary fashion.
– Dandenong Market, Cleeland Street, Dandenong. Sunday 24 August, noon and 2pm.
Dye and weave
ARTIST Siri Hayes will present the free botanical dyeing and weaving workshop.
She’ll take participants through the process of dyeing yarn with botanicals and weaving the yarn into a rug.
– Heritage Hill School House, 66 McCrae Street, Dandenong. Thursday 28 August, 11am to 12.30pm. Bookings are essential. Call Heritage Hill on 9793 4511 or email heritagehill@cgd.vic.gov.au.
Crystal chemistry
THIS free event looks at the beauty of crystals, solubility and saturation at the particle level and making crystals.
The Me and My Dad ‘Crystal Chemistry’ Science Workshop is designed for children aged 7 to 11 years and an accompanying parent or carer.
– Dandenong Library, Level 2, 225 Lonsdale St, Dandenong. Saturday 30 August, 2pm to 3pm. Call 1300 630 920 for bookings or more information.
Marina Prior’s Songbird
MARINA Prior is regarded as Australia’s leading lady of the theatre stage.
She released a box set of recordings earlier this year.
– Drum Theatre, corner Lonsdale and Walker streets, Dandenong. Saturday, 20 September, 8pm. Tickets are from $60.
Drumming display
DRUMMING ensemble TaikOz will present new work Crimson Sky, featuring thunderous energy and ethereal sounds.
The group weaves drumming with the shakuhachi and shinobue bamboo flutes, voice and a rare performance on the bass koto, a traditional Japanese 17-stringed plucked instrument to be played by special guest artist Satsuki Odamura.
– Drum Theatre, corner Lonsdale and Walker streets, Dandenong. Thursday 11 September, 8pm to 9.55pm. Tickets are from $25. Visit www.drumtheatre.com.au.
