Two regular features of the Henry Lawson Festival of Arts will take place next week prior to the long weekend.

Organised by the Grenfell Dramatic Society, 'Poetry by the Fire' will be held at the Little Theatre in Rose Street on Wednesday evening 3 June at 7.30pm

In the warmth and comfort around the open fire, people will recite, read or just listen to a wide variety of Australian poetry.

Some will choose bush poetry, others traditional verse, some may choose Lawson's poems and many will share their own poetry.

The choice is yours.

This leads to a varied programme of performance poetry.

Admission is a gold coin donation.

On Thursday 4 June at the Grenfell Public School Hall from 9.30am Schools' Recitation Day will take place.

Primary School students from the local schools will gather for a day of performance poetry.

Students will perform their poems on stage for adjudication, with winners in each section receiving book prizes donated by the Grenfell Dramatic Society.

There is always an appreciative audience of families and supporters to enjoy the performances, the costumes, and the fun of performance poetry.

It is interesting to note that Schools' Cultural Days were part of the first Henry Lawson Festival of Arts in 1958.

In those early years they were held in the Oddfellows Hall in George Street.