12:00a.m. 13th October 2008

| By Toby Walker

A group of Caloundra youth are involved in organising a free component of next months Caloundra Music festival. Jamie Hagan plays a real guitar as L-R: Emma Jones, Jayden Weidemann,Tarame Christie, Lisa Ferrier and Kym Webster help choose a chord. Nicholas Falconer / 178482a

They say the best things in life are free and one group of aspiring leaders have set out to prove it at this weekend’s Caloundra Music Festival.

With a line-up that puts celebrated balladeers Pete Murray and the Whitlams on the same bill as living soul-jazz legend Roy Ayers and Melbourne’s funk upstarts The Bamboos, the once sleepy seaside getaway has undoubtedly drawn some stars for its music festival’s second outing.

But with the price of adult day passes tipping $50 it’s also an event that may be out of reach for music lovers on a tight budget.

Enter Kym Webster, Emma Jones, Tarame Christie, Jayden Weidmann, Lisa Ferrier and Jamie Hagan – a six-strong troupe of trouble-shooters helping to organise free entertainment next to the festival site so those without tickets can still join the party.

The group was handed the reins by the Sunshine Coast Regional Council to coordinate and run The Village – a part of the festival that will transform the area near the water fountain at Kings Beach into a bustling precinct boasting live music, workshops, kids’ entertainment, art displays, market and food stalls, street parades and more.

As part of the Future Leaders program run by the Sunshine Coast Youth Partnership which challenges young participants to get real life experience through devising ideas and projects that benefit the wider community, the group seized the opportunity to take on The Village.

Jamie Hagan is hoping 15,000 people will rock up to the free party, more than double the number of ticket holders expected to arrive for the festival.

“We just came up with the concepts we thought would work over the weekend and it’s really about engaging with the community because with the prices of everything being so high at the moment it makes it pretty tough for a whole family to go along and enjoy the live music,” he said.

“It’ll be a great atmosphere down there and hopefully a really good experience for the people who come along.”

And while the festival’s biggest drawcards are unlikely to make an appearance on stage in The Village there’s rumours that our harmonica-toting mayor and man of the people Bob Abbot may pop up for a performance.

To learn more about what’s going on at the festival visit www.caloundramusicfestival.com.au