Book Week set to bring stories to life across the Hilltops Schools and libraries across the Hilltops are reminding families to get ready for Children’s Book Week, with costumes, favourite characters and plenty of reading set to take centre stage from August 22 to 28. This year’s theme, ‘Symphony of Stories’, celebrates the many different stories, voices and imaginations that come together through books. For many children, Book Week is best known for colourful character parades and the challenge of deciding what to wear, but the celebration has a much broader purpose. It encourages children to discover books they enjoy, talk about stories and see reading as something that can be shared with friends, families and the wider community. Books can introduce young readers to different people, places and experiences, while also allowing them to recognise parts of their own lives in the stories they read. Book Week also gives schools, libraries and families an opportunity to make reading visible and enjoyable, reinforcing that books are about much more than classroom work. Families across Young, Boorowa, Harden-Murrumburrah and surrounding communities are encouraged to keep an eye on information from their school or local library for individual Book Week activities and to find out whether costumes or other preparations are needed. In Harden, the celebration will extend beyond individual schools with A Symphony of Stories in Harden, a community Book Week event presented by The Book Nook Harden at McLean Oval on Tuesday, August 25. Running from 9am to 12.30pm, the morning will include a Book Week parade, activity stations, a sausage sizzle and Book Week raffle, with entry by gold coin donation. Winners of the Harden Community Book Week Writing Competition will also be announced during the event, following an earlier call for children, young people and adults to create stories inspired by the prompt, ‘When the music started, something magical happened...’. While Book Week celebrations will look a little different from school to school, Harden’s event offers children, families and community members the chance to come together and celebrate the joy of stories beyond the school gate. A Symphony of Stories in Harden will be held at McLean Oval on Tuesday, August 25 from 9am to 12.30pm. Gold coin entry applies. Bull in a China Shop – Burrangong Gallery Members Exhibition Burrangong Gallery, Hilltops Visitor Information Centre, Young Saturday, 22 August – Friday, 25 September | Open Daily Young Society of Artists members take on the 2026 challenge theme Like a Bull in a China Shop, interpreting delicate china, fragility and the familiar idiom through original artworks. The exhibition opens with morning tea at 11.00am on Saturday, 22 August on the railway platform beside Burrangong Gallery. Butterflies of Hope Afternoon Tea Saint Johns Anglican Church Hall, 19 Cloete Street, Young Saturday, 22 August | 2PM Join the Lions Club of Young for its annual Butterflies of Hope Afternoon Tea, raising funds for the Australian Lions Childhood Cancer Research Foundation. Tickets are $25 per person, with raffle prizes also up for grabs. Bookings and enquiries: Lyn Freudenstein on 0422 604 132. Lions Club of Young Community Markets Anderson Park, Young Saturday, 29 August | 9AM–1PM Browse handmade crafts, plants, art, jewellery, bric-a-brac and more at the Lions Club of Young Community Markets. Enjoy a Lions BBQ, coffee cart and home baking while supporting a local community organisation. Stall bookings are also available by contacting 0427 113 372 Country Harvest Buffet Dinner Clifton House & Gardens, Young Saturday, 29 August | 7.00PM Enjoy a relaxed country-style buffet dinner at Clifton House & Gardens, featuring roast beef, lamb and chicken dishes, seasonal vegetable sides, garlic bread and a selection of desserts. The evening also includes live music, warm hospitality and a fully licensed bar. Bookings are essential. Open Gardens in the Hilltops Three private gardens across the Hilltops Sunday, 13 September | 10.00AM–4.00PM Spend a spring day exploring Nailanga, Bullaworrie and Spring Park, with garden entry, picnic lunch, dessert box and event tote included in the $50 ticket. Enjoy local stalls, coffee, raffle prizes and an afternoon of live music, drinks and cheese platters. Optional return bus transport is available for $20. Proceeds support Young Public School P&C. SPPHANSW State Show Young Showgrounds & Young Pony Club Grounds Sunday, 4 October & Monday, 5 October Standardbreds take centre stage in Young for the 2026 SPPHANSW State Show, featuring show horse classes on Sunday followed by dressage and show jumping on Monday. Open to eligible registered Standardbreds, the event forms part of a big October long weekend of horse competition in Young. Entries close Friday, 25 September at 8.00pm.
