little DAY OUT

We had an absolute ball, and hope you did too. It would be great if you could give Westmere School your feedback – letting us know what was best for you and what you’d like to see more of.

You can use the comments form at the bottom of this section.

For example – did you make it to the back field or were you too captivated by the action on the main stage to move?

I’d heard about the hair braiding entrepreneurs and the nail bar proved a big hit but I totally missed the water bombs and the cream pie throwing. What would it have taken for you to get over there?

What did you think of the second stage? How did the kids manage activities and should it be a total kid zone or now that the event has grown should it be more professional?

Should Dancing With the Stars have been on the main stage or could we have done with more big acts on the second stage?

Did you place a bid or buy a raffle ticket? How could we give a greater profile to the raffle and Silent Auction? Are there any new money spinning ideas we could adopt from other similar events?

What did you think of the food? Did you see the way the kids munched into the fruit kebabs in pursuit of the marshmallows! Did we have enough food?

Could you get what you wanted? Could we have managed the drink any differently / better? A lot of people seemed to be imbibing in a safe environment where they could relax while the kids were entertained.

It seemed like there was different style for everyone there but my personal favourites were Steve Abel and The Bads. You also couldn’t deny the sheer star power of Jordan’s performance – brilliant!

And the dancing – was there enough room for you to kick up your heels?

I heard from a couple of outside visitors how they “had never seen anything like it before!”( in terms of scale, organisation and presentation.) The two people I’m talking about get to most of the kids events in Auckland and so that is high praise indeed.

Or the parent who took a look around during the finale and said they’d need to find a way to move to Westmere so their kids could enjoy such the a school.

What comments did you hear?

It seems there was so much on that everyone could do something completely different and still have a great time. There must be a dozens of stories out there.

Over to you for your thoughts, impressions, feedback and reviews. Just jot us down a few lines would to get the ball rolling, or longer if you feel inspired.

What did you see, hear or get excited about? What did you like the most? Maybe we need some more of those fruit kebabs to get the juices flowing

Note: to read or write comments click on the comments title

:)

The 2008 Little Day Out has been a great day. More great photos to come soon.

Thanks especially to the 150+ more than 200 parents, performers, teachers, kids, and other friends of the school who worked so hard behind the scenes to make it happen. Not forgetting the clean up on Sunday..

A fantastic start to the event.

Part of the welcome from the school.

Here is shot from the stage in the first 10 minutes with one of the school marimba bands.

The LDO is live now. Not too late to get a ticket. Must dash myself, Don McGlashan on now.

Steve Abel coming up 2pm, The Bads, Dave McArtney and Jordan Luck still to come on, and we still have 5 4 hrs to go. Time to logout and enjoy the music.

Here is a quick shot of high school band AD/BC by photographer Jason Hailes of nfocus. In this shot – Vocalist Moira Jones, Guitar: Miller Christensen-Yule, Drummer: Thomas Alexander and Bassist: Chris Tan.

They were great!! See you soon. Lots more great photos soon.

Update: Actually this shot misses 2 members who were there! and here they are. Keys: Adam Fuhr and Louis McGlashan.

The latest MetService forecast for the Little Day Out in Auckland today is 23 degrees, mainly fine with some cloud and northeasterly winds. No significant rain till late tonight or Sunday morning and then it clears for most.

There had been reports we might get a few showers, in which case event production manager Robbie Barclay says the show will still go on unless the weather makes things dangerous..

The volunteers are finishing the set-up at the school. The food is being made and delivered. So bring your sunscreen and look forward to a great day.

9 great performers / bands + Peter & Hayley+ Monty & Nerida off DWTS ! Programme is immediately below this update. Get your tickets now!!

Stay tuned to Classic Hits and this website for any late, late news.

Note: And to volunteers – it is not too late. Just a few more people would see everybody doing short shifts. We would be grateful at this stage if you would take the job you are given.

Also please remember to be security conscious on the day – read the tips in your school newsletter or on this website.

Westmere school is located on the corner of Larchwood St and Garnet Road in Westmere.

Here is a snapshot of the programme – download copy here

Hosted by Mike McRoberts

Starting at 12noon (gates open at 11:30am) here are the performances in order

• The Westmere School Choir
• Westmere Marimba Band
• AD/BC
• The Darlings
• Don McGlashan
• Steve Abel
• Peter Urlich auctions tickets to the final of Dancing with the Stars
• Dave McArtney’s Pink Flamingos
• The Bads
• John Bowring from Bayleys auctions vasectomy and Private Chef
• Jordan Luck Band

Not So Silent Auction
Some items will be auctioned live by Bayley’s auctioneer, John Bowring from the main stage. You can still download an auction list here.PDF format auction list

But make sure your silent bids are in on the fabulous items that have been kindly donated to the school. Silent bidding is situated under the Super Top, bidding closes at 5pm sharp.

Remember it’s all for the hall!

Huge thanks to all our sponsors here and here and helpers who volunteer to make this all possible. LDO 2008 Programme download copy here

Are you ready, are you steady, are you go? Hat, Shirt, and Jandals..

Tomorrow is the 3rd biennial Little Day Out festival so grab what you need and get down to Westmere school. Only 1 sleep to go now – here is last minute checklist:

1. Tickets
You will have already bought tickets for your family and friends at a discount right? …

C’mon, you can get them at the school office until Friday at $20, kids under 12 are free. 13yrs to 19yrs and senior citizens are $10. On the day it’s $25…

2. Cash.
Bring cash, HEAPS of it as we are not a bank. There will be a limited EFTPOS facility on the day and a coupon system for buying the tempting and delicious food and drink on hand. No one likes queues, so make it easy on yourself and raid the money jar for change in advance.

3. T-Shirt.
Go styleeeee, be there, wear the gear.

This is our big chance for Westmere school to grab the attention of the local community and have them engage in a debate about the hall.

We want people to come along and have their say, the more the merrier, so do your bit to promote the event.

4. All Weather Gear
Be prepared for the elements. Bring sun cream, jerseys, brollies and raincoats, who knows when the weather will change?

5. Possie
Rugs, cushions, deckchairs…Gates open 11.30. Come and grab a good spot early, but then you may want to move around and talk to your friends. Maybe grab a wee bit of space later for a lie down to digest the wonderful food and recover from all of those silent auction bids.

5. Voice
You can warm up your vocals in support of the School Choir, the first act on at noon. The Marimba Band follows and it’s all go from there. Remember the auction is “not-so-silent” – we expect loud involvement and hot competition at 2.45 for the Dancing with the Stars tickets and again at 4.45 for the vasectomy and private chef.

6. Dancing Shoes (Performers) – Mike McRoberts from TV3 will be the compere.
Bring these, or do your barefoot thing with:
The Bads,and The Darlings,
The Jordan Luck Band, and Dave McArtney’s Pink Flamingos
Don McGlashan and Steve Abel and friends.

Google the LDO website for links to sound or video files if you want to know more about individual performers. And especially don’t forget the legendary or, as well as high school band AD/BC performing their ‘Classic Rock for the New Curriculum’.

7. The Kids!
Oops, nearly forgot. There’s plenty of entertainment for all ages. Bring some gold coins.

For the littlies there’s a fairy grotto and the chance to sit in a real fire engine. Your children can cream pie or wet their teacher and Dad…you’re up for water bomb touch. Mum prepare for hair braiding, a face paint and the nails too….you will look loooooovely!

8. The Food
Need that one last reason to help you make up your mind? How about the latest food selection is from ka pai mussels, who provide bbq flamed wok mussels, prawns, scallops, in their shell, with sauces, garlic & sweet chilli, coconut cream curry with fresh coriander,

and much, much more, … along with hungarian bread, ice cream spiders, fruit kebabs, great salads and more.

And stay tuned for programme details or any other last minute updates like the Auction.