From hay bales to heavy horses, people came from all walks to take part in the day’s festivities at Cooma Cottage. Mr Williams said that the day was a huge success and was relieved that they didn’t have to cancel the event.  

“The idea of postponing the Heyday rather than just cancelling it was a good one,” Mr Williams said at the festival. 

“Here we are eight days later and the forecast was for rain, but none has come as yet and it’s perfect conditions.” 

Mr Williams was impressed with the level of support from the local community. 

“It is important to keep Cooma Cottage as a national and Australian heritage and by supporting an event such as Heyday, we are keeping one of our icons alive,” he said. 

“There is still a lot of work with upgrades to be done so that we are able to keep it open for longer periods; tourists can then turn in and see it’s splendour.” 

Scanning the carpark at different times during the day, Mr Williams noted that at least four in 10 cars had ACT plates and attributed this to the success of the promotion and advertising.   

Festival-goers enjoyed the atmosphere of the old colonial time, participating in the various facilities, Children were catered for, with games and events. 

Anne Gibson and Joyce Perry from Yass Spinners and Weavers were on hand to show their skills in the art of spinning yarn from the fleece of local sheep.

Silhouette cuttings onto black cards were one of the main attractions at this year's festival. Artist Jeff Pearce was cutting silhouettes for hours, getting two copies of all silhouettes so that the second could be archived and kept at Cooma Cottage for prosperity. 

Heyday organiser Alex Webb was seen running round like a jackrabbit, with cups of billy tea and scones for some of the stand attendees.

Alex, who teaches at Yass High, believes the festival provides students the opportunity to learn about how things were done during the 1800s. 

“They learn the art of making damper, churning butter and cooking stew in the traditional way,” she said.  

“I was amazed just how many people did not know what damper was, it gave everyone a good opportunity to see just how tough things were in the kitchen back then. 

“One of the disappointments was being unable to have the cow milking, as all of the cows were in calf, but hopefully we will have it next year.”

The theme of the day was to allow people to get in touch with the ‘technology’ of yesteryear. By having so many hands on displays and recreational facilities, visitors were able to step back in time and appreciate just how it was back then. 

The Heyday is in its third year, and organisers are looking at improving it next year with the addition of more stalls and events.