By Brendan Rees
Prayers to weather gods were answered with hundreds gathering in Cranbourne for a night of carolling on Saturday 15 December.
The annual Christmas Carols event, hosted by the Cranbourne Presbyterian Church hit a high note despite a deluge of rain striking earlier in the day.
Organiser Minister Peter Roberts said “we all had our doubts” with the bad weather but fortunately the rained cleared about 3.30pm, and a crowd of about 400 people attended the event.
“It all came good,” Minister Roberts said. “The whole ground dried out…it was amazing.”
“We had a great night; kids had a great time.”
He said they had catered for over a thousand people this year but “we were lower in numbers because of the earlier rain.”
In the end, he said the night “was well received – people didn’t want to go.”
People sang along to performers on stage including the Cranbourne Chorale, Josh Roberts, and Sene Smalley for a mix of carols.
Fun also included free show bags, face-painting, an animal nursery, a photo booth, crafts, and a barbecue hosted by the Cranbourne Rotary Club.
“The theme is to be a family fun day that people can connect and they don’t have to spend any money,” Minister Roberts said.
City of Casey MAyor Amanda Stapledon said it was a fun-filled family night, led by the Cranbourne Presbyterian Band and the Cranbourne Choice.
“A special thank you to Peter Roberts of the Cranbourne Presbyterian church his wife Gail, the Rotary Club of Cranbourne for cooking all the sausages and Myuna Animal Farm for all the fun for the kids and the bigger kids too,” she said.
Cranbourne Presbyterian Church will hold a Christmas day service at 10am.