Blayney Shire Council is bringing Australia's biggest community and sustainability event, Garage Sale Trail, to the area next month. These jam-packed weekends of garage sales is a great way to declutter, raise some money and meet your neighbours. Held consecutive Saturdays, November 13 and 20.

Visit some established gardens or others that could be described as works in progress as part of the Rockley Gardens and Art Festival. As well as a range of private gardens, Bunnamagoo, one of the oldest estates in the region, will open its garden and visitors can also sample their award-winning wines. Rockley School students will be selling take home succulent kits. Visit rockleygardensandart.weebly.com for information. November 13-14. Free bus leaves Bathurst Visitor Information Centre at 9am. $15, under 16s free.

Blayney Shire Council will host the annual Bright Lights of Blayney Shire Christmas decorations, but this year with a twist. With council elections in process, the community is being asked to help with the judging. This will be done online with entrants submitting photos when registering. Voting will be open online from December 13 to 20. First, second and third prizes will be determined by the number of votes. A map of entries will be published on December 6 and updated in the lead up to Christmas. Entries close Monday, December 13 at 9am.

Do you want to host a market stall at the Blayney Twilight Christmas Market? People from in and around the Blayney area who make quality, handcrafted goods are being sought to set up a stall and sell their wares. Cost is $25 and applications close Friday, November 12. For application forms and information email platformblayney@gmail.com. The market will be held on Thursday, December 9 from 5pm to 8pm at the Platform Arts Hub.

With more candidates than vacancies, there will be a vote required in Blayney council for the local government elections. The date has been changed a few times due to COVID, but an election will be held in the shire on Saturday, December 4.

Get ready for a festive night of shopping in two local communities. Stores will be keeping their doors open until 8pm giving you more time to shop and get ready for Christmas. Shop for everything from homewares, clothing, jewellery and accessories, to pots, plants, candles, beauty products, hats, games and kid's clothing - whatever it is you need. Scheduled for Blayney on Thursday, December 9 and Millthorpe on Friday December 10.

Weeks after the roaring success of the Simply Orange Spring Markets, the organisation will host its first Christmas Markets. The markets had originally been planned for early December, before a venue change from the Orange Showgrounds to Towac Park caused them to be brought forward to November 14 from 9am to 3pm. In addition to stalls, there will also be jumping castles and live music. Entry is a gold coin donation which will go to the children's ward at Orange Health Service. To enquire about having a stall email: simplyorangemarkets@outlook.com.

Monthly open mic events are set to return to the Victoria Bathurst once a month on Tuesdays from November 16, monthly classic album events are returning to their rightful place on Thursdays, and live music will continue to keep patrons happy on Friday and Saturday nights. Local musicians rostered to perform at the venue over the next few weeks include Jazzy Gold [November 12], Ska-ramouche [November 13], Deany and Izzy [November 19] and James Van Cooper [November 20]. It's great to see live gigs back. For more details head to The Victoria's Facebook page.