"IT'S the biggest year we've had.
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"There were between 4000 and 5000 people who attended...and people were standing on the road behind the park."
Program coordinator for this year's Taree Carols in the Park Stacey Sedlen was thrilled with the response from the community, who gathered at Fotheringham Park on Sunday (December 13) for what was a wonderful evening of carols, performances by talented locals and community spirit.
The entertainment was a mix of traditional carols and contemporary moments.
Dancers from Munro School of Dance, Andrea Rowsell Academy of Dance and Star Central Dance Academy all presented routines during the night.
"They are all very talented and professional," said Stacey.
The cast from Taree Arts Council's Mary Poppins sang one of the highlight numbers from the production, Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.
"They did an awesome job. They blew everyone away."
Some of the cast followed up with other numbers during the evening.
PHOTO GALLERY: Taree Carols in the park 2015
A stand-out moment was young Cassidy Donovan singing the beautiful 'O Holy Night', while accompanied by pianist Tanya Brown.
The moving tribute, A Christmas Truce, which commemorated the time in 1914 when there was widespread but unofficial ceasefires along the Western Front around Christmas, was another highlight.
"All the troops sand Silent Night and the war stopped," said Stacey of the time in 1914.
The performance involved local army cadets and vocalists Charlotte Reece and Connor Langley who sang Silent Night, both in German and English.
During the third verse, footage from the actual Christmas truce was played on a big screen and the crowd fell silent to watch.
At the conclusion of the footage, the cadets saluted.
"It was very moving," said Stacey.
Co-hosts for the carols this year were Jeremy Miller and Jeremy Thornton (nicknamed the Double Js), who kept the program rolling along and provided entertaining banter as well.
Other performers were the Manning Valley Concert Band, led by musical director Roger Griffiths, duo Sweet Nothin' (Grace Callaghan and Jai Harrison), local primary schools, Georgina Saad, Jodi Cooper, Liz Hall, Mary Camphuis, Louise Hayes, Pam Phillips and Kim Stevens.
Santa's arrival brought lots of excitement, as he arrived on a Harley Davidson motorcycle, to the delight of the children.
The carols culminated with the fireworks display.
Carols in the Park is organised by a small Taree Carols committee, led by chairperson Amanda Tate, in conjunction with the Taree Combined Ministers Association.
LJ Hooker Taree plays a huge role in organising the event each year.
The organisers say the event would not be possible without the support of local businesses and community members who contribute each year. All proceeds go into staging the carols the following year and allow the event to stay free for the community.
Stacey said the feedback from this year has so far been very positive, with people from out of the area commenting that the calibre and quality of the event was on par with bigger carols events held elsewhere.
A mega gallery of photos from the 2015 Carols in the Park can be found here