Kids can't wait for Jacaranda

Max Heilers, Georgia Cummins and Nick Heilers take a run under the jacarandas at See Park.

Adam Hourigan

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Junior Jacaranda Queen Quest

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STUDENTS across the Clarence are putting their creative caps on for this year's Grafton Jacaranda Festival Parade of Youth banner competition on Saturday.

Parade co-ordinator Joy Zietsch said the theme is memories of an early Jacaranda. She is excited to see what the students and teachers create.

“I take my hat off to all the students that participate each year because they do a remarkable job,” she said.

“It is a big excitement on the day when the schools come together to parade their banners that they have worked so hard on.”

The annual festival will officially kick off tomorrow tonight with the 75th anniversary reunion ball at South Grafton Ex-Servicemen's Club. The ball will highlight the official presentation of the Jacaranda Queen candidates to guest of honour Mike Dougherty and celebrity guest Brent Livermore.

The queen crowning ceremony will follow, on Saturday night, with the winner taking up her official position and being eased into her hectic schedule of attending more than 40 events.

President of the Jacaranda committee Libby Pigg said that this year's festival was shaping up to be everything that she had hoped would be achieved.

“I am so looking forward to everyone uniting together to support the festival,” she said.