A movie marathon, the annual Project Hindmarsh tree planting weekend, ZUMBA and a Graffiti Art Spray Painting workshop are amongst the activities being promoted by the Hindmarsh Shire Council as part of their winter school holiday program over the first two weeks in July.

Councillor Debra Nelson, Mayor of Hindmarsh Shire Council, said "The school holidays are a great time to try things that you don't normally have access to or time to enjoy during the school term." She added, "The school holiday program again has a lot to offer! There is so much to do within our Shire and plenty to do in our neighbouring Shires."

The FreeZa Summit is happening through these school holidays and will take place on Tuesday 4 July. A bus will travel to Ballarat to attend the Summit which is a free music industry training workshop for young people. The Push will be teaming up with a bunch of industry professionals to deliver tailored sessions, advice and information for young people interested in pursuing a career within the music, events or wider arts industries. Sessions include: Social Media and Facebook Advertising, Booking Agents and Artist Offers, Effective Event Artwork and Visual Design, an Industry Panel Event Pitch Workshop and a live performance by Bec Sandridge. The 2017 Freeza Summits are free for all young people, aged between 12 and 25 and include lunch. Bookings are essential, with limited places available.

A basketball camp is taking place over two days on Tuesday 4 and Wednesday 5 of July at the Horsham Basketball Stadium. The sessions will be held from 9:30am to 2:30pm each day for children aged 8 to 15 years at a cost of $100 per participant. Bookings are essential and can be made by contacting Shaun on sbrucebasketball@gmail.com.

A free movie screening of "The BFG' will occur on the evening of Thursday 6 July from 7pm at the Jeparit Town Hall. Drinks and popcorn will be available to purchase, and those attending are encouraged to bring along a bean bag or a pillow to sit on.

In its 20th year, the annual Project Hindmarsh Planting Weekend will be held between 7 and 9 July and hosted by the Little Desert Nature Lodge. Volunteers will aim to plant 12,000 trees and shrubs across four sites. Two of the sites are located on the bank of the Wimmera River at Jeparit, near where the river drains into Lake Hindmarsh, and both sites contain areas of aboriginal cultural significance. The other two sites are located in remnant Buloke woodland near Dimboola, and both support threatened species. The Dimboola sites are also old farm homestead sites and contain some interesting farming relics. Buses will transport participants to and from planting sites and lunch is included. For further information or to book please contact Jonathan Starks, Hindmarsh Landcare Facilitator, on 0429 006 936 or hln@hindmarshlandcare.org.au. More information can be found here .

In Dimboola on Monday 10 July teens will be given the opportunity to come and have some free fun with ZUMBA! The location for this event will be the Dimboola Health and Fitness Centre and will start from 6:30pm.

A Graffiti Art Spray Painting workshop will take place in Rainbow on Thursday 13 July at the Old Primary School site. Painting will start at 12.30pm with the aim of finishing by 3:30pm and will incur a small cost of $5.00 per participant. Bookings are essential and transport from Nhill is available.

On Friday 14 July the Nhill Cinema will be hosting its first ever movie marathon when "Cars 3' and "Despicable Me 3' will both be shown between 10:30am and 2:30pm with lunch also available. Ticket pricing and bookings are available from the Nhill Council customer service centre on 5391 4444.

Cr Nelson noted that all events are drug, alcohol and smoke free. "We encourage families to attend and enjoy some unique entertainment as a family unit. Most events are free or subsidized thanks to assistance from State Government FReeZa funding, the Hindmarsh Shire Youth Council and our wonderful community organisations."

Bookings are required to help with event planning so to book or for any further enquiries please contact Hindmarsh Shire Council's Youth and Early Years Officer, Meg Hall, on 5391 4444 or youth@hindmarsh.vic.gov.au.