BUSKERS took to Rutherglen’s historic Main Street at the weekend on a glorious autumn day for the regional heat of the Australian National Busking Championships (ANBC).

Organised by Destination Rutherglen and Arts Rutherglen, the town had hosted its inaugural event last year.

With a great vibe as music resonated around the town last Saturday, Destination Rutherglen’s Peter Walker said numbers appeared to be up from last year, which had drawn a crowd of around 2000 people.

Thirty-five buskers mostly from around regional Victoria performed, with musicians competing for a hefty prize pool worth more than $10,000.

Among place getters, new band ‘Luceys’ with Rutherglen’s Tilly Pin came up trumps winning the Best Band category as well as scoring second place in the People’s Choice Award, while Yackandandah’s Jack Gregory took out second place in the secondary school section.

Another local band, The Riverines, picked up a Special Judge's Award while Wodonga’s Zac and Eliza Spalding won an award in the Country Music section.

“Presentations held at The Star Hotel drew a large crowd to see the winners receive their awards,” Mr Walker said.

“An open mic session was then held to entertain the throng.”

Winners will head to Cooma to compete in the national competition on November 23 this year.

The ANBC began in Cooma 12 years ago and now attracts national attention with a total of nine regional competitions around country towns in Queensland, NSW, Victoria and the ACT prior to the Grand Final held in November each year.

Over the past 12 years the ANBC has held 60 Busking competitions and awarded more than $350,000 in cash prizes to buskers from around the nation.

ANBC president Allen Spencer said more than $200,000 has been raised over that time for local charities in the towns where the busking competitions are held.

“It helps organisations to run the events and draws people to the town which helps with tourism,” he said.

With Rutherglen well-known as a wine and food destination, Mr Walker said events such as the busking regional heat added another string to the town’s bow.

“Surveys undertaken over the day showed a large number of people were drawn from the area to Rutherglen just for the event,” he said.

Mr Walker said the town had seen an increase in visitations helping local businesses too.

“These events also bring together a diverse group of people in the community working as both individuals and groups creating a more cohesive network for future events as well as creating a forum for fresh ideas.”