Arrowtown 150co-ordinator Julie Hughes said she was amazed by the support for the town's planned historical re-enactment, with about 70 people turning out to a public meeting last week.
The "Arrowtown Needs You" meeting was held to gauge support for the re-enactment of the discovery of gold, which will require about 200 people to play roles and many more to volunteer their time and skills behind the scenes.
Mrs Hughes said last week's meeting was "fantastic".
"We had about 70 people there and probably about 50 apologies. People were ringing left, right and centre.
"The best thing I think ... three-quarters of the people there I'd never met before. They were all newbies.
"There were so many people. One lady came up to me who had been living here for a month and a-half and just wanted to get involved in the community. They weren't just from Arrowtown either, they were from all over the [Wakatipu]."
Mrs Hughes said all of those who turned out to show their support had also registered their interest in participating in the re-enactment - the third in the history of the town, with the last re-enactment held 25 years ago.
Committee members would now work their way through those who wanted to be involved and offer roles to people.
"Now that we've got fantastic support, we're going to be good to go."
The re-enactment is scheduled for October 20.
At its conclusion, guests will be taken to the Chinese Village for the official opening of the Chinese Village Theatre, complete with Chinese dragons, lions and dancers.
Present will be the Chinese ambassador and selected invited guests, with Prime Minister John Key also invited.
