It has been nearly 15 years since Snowtown in rural South Australia gained infamy for one of the most gruesome serial killings in the country's history.

In 1999 the remains of eight people were discovered in six barrels of acid inside a disused bank in the main street.

Since then the quaint town off National Highway One has been known for all the wrong reasons.

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Now the community that has become synonymous with the "bodies-in-the-barrels" case is attempting to re-brand itself as it celebrates its 135th birthday.

Snowtown publican Phil Hyde says no locals were involved in the murders and it should be known for other reasons.

"It's just one of those things that occurred, it wasn't very nice, so we've pretty much moved on," he said.

Hundreds are expected to pack the main street this weekend for the birthday festivities.

My memories of Snowtown are tied to the bodies-in-barrels murders - primarily a grey autumn Sunday in May 1999 when police let media into the disused state bank where eight bodies had been found in acid-filled barrels in the vault. It was a non-descript country town, located 145km north of Adelaide. The first impressions coming off the highway were the trees and scrub surrounding the town. Inside there were quiet streets, a few shops and a couple of large grain silos next to the train tracks that bisected the town. I did not see it at its best, since residents were in shock from the grim discoveries and viewing the media - and all outsiders - with natural suspicion. Like Truro before it, Snowtown was trapped in a nightmare not of its making. The killers were all from elsewhere and it was locals' misfortune that the disused bank was used for storage for the barrels and then became the scene for the final murder. The town has been trying to move on ever since 1999 - even considering a change of name to Rosetown - and it deserves to be known for more positive reasons than its links to an Australian tragedy. - Andrew McGarry is an online producer for Grandstand and the author of The Snowtown Murders

It coincides with the opening of the stage two of the Snowtown wind farm.

Once complete it will be the largest operating wind farm in the state and the second largest in the nation, supplying the equivalent of 10 per cent of South Australia's electricity.

Locals are using the event to re-brand the town as the wind energy capital of the state.

Snowtown Lions Club treasurer Alan Large says it marks a fresh start for the town, steeped in a rich rural history.

"Nobody seems to object against them, they're a benefit for the town labour-wise and also they're putting money into the community," he said.

Some locals embrace town's gruesome past

However, some residents believe the high-profile mass murder case should be embraced by the town.

Antique shop owner and long-time resident, Rosemary Josephs, says the gruesome events have been good for business.

The 79-year-old sells murder memorabilia, including magnets about Snowtown being a "barrel of fun", and statues of barrels with legs poking out the top.

"They weren't interested in tea towels or mugs, they wanted something weird," she said.

Mrs Josephs says visitors are genuinely intrigued at the story behind the murders.

"I thought it was a little bit macabre but it's what people want," she added.

Many residents, including Max Atkinson, agree the attention is nothing to shy away from.

"People still come through and photograph the bank and stand in front of it but it really, it's good publicity really," he said.

For the folk of Snowtown, it is hoped the turbines will also generate a new yarn to talk about.