IT'S a rare appearance and it's had the city buzzing with anticipation. Some have been counting down the days. Some have been counting down the hours.
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Sir Elton John, Carrington Park, next Wednesday night?
No. It's the rain that's been forecast for the city through until early next week.
It's not every day that a global music superstar plonks down at his piano at Carrington Park and, in normal circumstances, his visit would win hands down when it comes to dominating local conversation.
But these haven't been normal circumstances for Bathurst. They haven't been normal circumstances for most of this parched state.
After a long period without average rainfall, and a particularly dire end to 2019, the prospect of up to 50 or 60 millimetres falling over a number of days has gripped Bathurst and now we can only hope the heavens follow through.
Bathurst is much better off than many places in NSW, of course, but there is a weariness and a testiness settling in as Chifley Dam continues to drop and the possibility of a loosening of water restrictions continues to fade.
The weariness is in people talking about much-loved plants being lost, of established trees looking ill, of having to choose which parts of the garden will be saved and which will be left to their fate.
And the testiness?
It was obvious in the decision by someone to film and then share a video of a man who was breaching Bathurst's water restrictions - and for that video to then collect 25,000 views on Facebook over the weekend.
It was part of a growing - and dangerous - sense of vigilantism on social media among those who say they are following the restrictions to the letter but are aggrieved by those who are not.
Council will hope its confirmation that fines have been issued for restriction breaches (as reported today) will quell some of that anger, but it is going to bubble away as long as people suspect that not everyone is doing the right thing.
In the meantime, some of the sting will be taken out if the forecasts prove correct and Bathurst gets a really good, solid drink over the next five days - the sort of drink it hasn't had for a year.
Seeing the relieved smiles on local gardeners' faces will be a show worth seeing. And you won't have to pay a cent to enjoy it.