Saturday, September 2, 2006

The band played on - in the beer tent
- in spite of torrential rain all day

Thanks to Roger Munday for the report below

The tenth annual Blackshawhead fete was held on Saturday.

Last Saturday - the wettest, the windiest, the wildest day of the summer. In other words, some might observe, a typical Blackshawhead summers’ day!

Needless to say, all of the carefully detailed plans were – literally – blown away. It was no place for a Punch and Judy show, no place for a children’s roundabout or bouncy castle; no place for demonstrating dog agility, for barbecuing sausages or for selling anything from a stall.

In fact by mid afternoon there were no stalls – they had all blown down. And it was all hands to the ropes to secure the tents that were still standing.

But as luck – or maybe emergency planning – would have it, the remaining tents included the bar and the food tent, as well as the produce show.

So the outcome was that a really good time was had by all those who had braved the worse that the weather could throw at them to support the village. The band struck up in the bar tent, the ale began to flow, the sausages and burgers were fried indoors instead of barbecued outside, and the foul weather fete turned into a somewhat damp but definitely up-beat dance!

There had been two hundred entries in the produce competitions, cakes, jams, embroidery, vegetables, and so on, and no one summed up the spirit of the day better than young Sally Flesher, who struggled through the wind and rain to present her six foot high sunflower to the judges!

The organisers observed that, since the whole objective of the fete was not about making money but to build up the sense of community, that aim had been more than achieved.  Everyone had pulled together to make the best of the afternoon, and had done it with nothing but smiles and wisecracks along the way. And when all was said and done, no one had been seriously hurt, and no catastrophic damage had been caused.

Wednesday, August 30, 2006 - update

It’s all the fun of the Fete at Blackshawhead this Saturday as the tenth annual Village Fair gets under way from 1.30p.m.  The field will have been a hive of activity long before then, though, as keen exhibitors register their entries in the almost fifty categories of baking and making, growing and arranging which make up the produce competition.

The afternoon gets up and running - literally - with the start of the fell race, organised by Tod. Harriers, to the accompaniment of music from local band The Stalactites, who will be entertaining at intervals all through the fete. And whilst the humans are racing off, the canine world hits centre-stage with the dog agility and fun dog show competitions.

And all the time participants and visitors will be well fed and watered at the beer tent run by local pub The New Delight (home of the Blackshawhead  brewed Bridestones beers), and by “Pats’ Pantry” providing hot food and drinks on the field, and lunches and their locally renowned afternoon teas at their base, Blackshawhead Chapel, which also hosts exhibitions of art by Colden school and of farming in the area organised by the local history group.

Blackshawhead Fete goes from strength to strength, and this year promises to be the best yet!

Tuesday, August 15, 2006

They’re breaking out the bunting, mowing the meadow, and printing the programmes up in Blackshawhead and it’s all in readiness for the 2006 Village Fete on Saturday 2nd September! This will be tenth consecutive "Country Fair" since the event was first planned by a small group of villagers, with the support of the Parish Council, and it just gets bigger and better.

The bunting is going up

Over the years new groups have sprung up in Blackshawhead, such as the local history group "SHED", and they they have helped to swell the scope of what’s on offer. This year "SHED" are mounting an exhibition in Blackshawhead Chapel of "Farming in Blackshawhead", and would welcome any stories and any items of interest.

They have had to buy a second home produce tent to meet the response as local folk (and those from further afield) vie to win “best in show” for their jam, cakes, flower arrangements or home grown vegetables with special prizes in the children’s sections. Entry forms for the numerous categories will be in the fete programme, which will be on sale around the village any day now.

The programme, which gives entry to the fete, also gives full details of all the other fete activities – the live music, the food and drink, the Punch and Judy, egg throwing contest, bouncy castle and others which space does not allow to be mentioned here.

Suffice it to say that, on September 2nd, Blackshawhead will be the place to be, and the organisers look forward to welcoming old and new visitors, from near and far. If you have any items of interest in connection with local Pennine farming please get in touch with Eileen of SHED on 847254; for any other Blackshawhead Fete enquiries call Steve on 847190.

Blackshawhead Fete 2005

Blackshawhead Fete 2004 - more pictures

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