ORGANISERS of the upcoming Bathurst Bicentenary Colonial Fair are promising a glimpse of the city from days gone by.
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The first day of the fair will be held following the official Proclamation Day ceremony and flag staff opening at 10am on Thursday, May 7.
On show by the river will be blacksmiths, a whip-maker, blade shearer and other old trades and crafts.
Children will perform a maypole dance and organisers say fair-goers might even see a convict flogged.
The Wiradyuri people will also be camping as they did back in the 1800s when white settlement came to Bathurst.
One of the fair highlights will be the NSW Corps Marines re-enacting canon firing and pistol duelling.
They will also have a camp set up which will include military tents and a surgeon’s tent. Bathurst GP Dr Ross Wilson will be displaying some of the old-world medical equipment he has collected.
NSW Corps Marines member Carlo Jensen said the fair will be a great opportunity for people to discover what Bathurst was like when Lachlan Macquarie arrived in 1815.
At the time of Macquarie’s arrival, the 46th regiment of the NSW Corps Marines would have been stationed in Bathurst.
“By then there were about 40 people up here and there would have been convicts and Redcoats,” he said. “We’ll have a camp set up and there will also be a convict camp and animals.”
Fresh damper and lamb roasted over a fire will also be on offer.
Bathurst’s heritage will be on display during the second day of the fair, on Saturday, May 9, including old steam engines and vintage cars.
The fair will be held from noon to 4.30pm on Thursday, May 7 and 10am to 4pm on Saturday, May 9.
The fair will be held near the Pillars of Bathurst, near the corner of Hereford and Stanley streets, on the Thursday, and in Bicentennial Park near the Guide Hall on the Saturday.
Entry to both days will be free.