WITH thousands of Elvis fans now at fever pitch, Parkes man Csaba Belley has come up with an idea that he says will bring more tourists to town and celebrate the iconic singer.
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The grain silos on May Street near the train station have long stood as testament to industry, innovation and the town’s growth, but now he says they could be used in a whole new way.
Inspired by the paintings on silos at Portland near Lithgow, Mr Belley said Parkes could have its own version.
“I’d start with a painting of Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Opera House and then you’d have a train moving across [the silos] and at the end you’d have Elvis, Henry Parkes and Memorial Hill,” he said.
With these iconic images on the May Street side of the silos, Mr Belley said there was plenty of scope for additional paintings on the railway side of the structures.
“On the back we could have the villages like Peak Hill, Bogan Gate, Trundle and Tullamore,” he said.
“We could have stuff about the Irish connections and ABBA.”
Mr Belley has lived in Parkes since the year 2000 and he said there was a lot for the community to be proud of with the town’s heritage, people and achievements.
“All I was trying to do is get a bit of an idea moving,” he said of the silo artwork.
“I watched the silos in Portland and I really like it and thought it was a great idea for Parkes.
“Parkes has a lot to be proud of and it’s a pretty town.”
Parkes Shire Council deputy mayor and Parkes Shire Cultural Committee chair Barbara Newton said council had already recognised that the silos, which are owned by Graincorp, could be a platform for art.
“With permission from owners Graincorp, council has made the Parkes silos a key feature of the annual Sparkles lighting illumination program for the past four years,” she said.
As part of the program the silos have been illuminated in Elvis images that will be shone each evening in the lead up and during this year’s Parkes Elvis Festival.
