The Stockton Summer Show And Why I’ve Gone Right Off Jazz Singers

A great family day out!

What a fantastic event Stockton Council events team put on for local people over the August Bank Holiday weekend. There was something for everyone to enjoy. Hazel and I were there set up in the big craft marquee. I performed Punch and Judy and Magic Shows and Hazel delighted the kids with her amazing face painting.

Preston Park

The event took returned to its original venue at Preston Park. Last year it had to be held down by the river near the Tees Barrage but the site was very exposed and high winds caused havoc. Preston Park is a much better location for the show. It’s a popular place to visit and there is plenty of space, good parking and pleasant surroundings.

Fantastic Entertainment

The event took place over three days and there were shows and displays going on in the main area constantly. The children loved the Knights of the Crusades and the Cumberland Giants but the crowd also really enjoyed the Fun Dog Show which included Most Handsome Dog, Scruffiest Dog, Waggiest Tail, Most Obedient Dog and Fancy Dress. The football competitions were also well supported.

There was of course a host of side shows, inflatables, rides, tombola stalls and a complete fun fair plus a circus with it’s own big top.

Wet and Windy!

Unfortunately the weather for the Saturday and Sunday was wet and windy which probably put a lot of people off coming. I think we were all hoping for glorious sun shine instead things were damp and blustery with a bit of sun shine now and then. The best day was Bank Holiday Monday when the sun was shining and the gate picked up.

Why I’ve gone right off jazz singers

I had some lovely audiences for all of my shows but on Monday there was also a lady jazz singer performing in the little park behind the craft marquee where I was set up. I did two Punch and Judy Shows and each time I had just started my show when the jazz singer came on and drowned me out. She was playing over the main public address system and I only had my usual little portable speaker. I felt robbed as I had about sixty or seventy people watching me and she only had about twelve round the bandstand. Still, I suppose she was entertaining the entire show ground and perhaps not everyone is a Punch and Judy fan. Ah well.

Punch and the Devil (jollygoodfun.co.uk)
Punch and Judy | A Short History (jollygoodfun.co.uk)
Punch Arrested! (jollygoodfun.co.uk)

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Wensleydale Show 2011

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The best country show in Yorkshire!

One of the events I always look forward to is the Wensleydale Show which takes place just outside of Leyburn, North Yorkshireon the Saturday of the August Bank Holiday weekend.

Country Life

For anyone interested in rural life, farming and the countryside there can be no better show to visit. A walk round the numerous stalls, exhibitions and displays is not only interesting but also highly educational.

Vintage Machinery

I am always fascinated by the wonderful displays of vintage farm machinery, tractors, vehicles, tools and particularly the old steam engines. The latter have all been carefully restored and maintained so that they are in full working order.

Food and Drink

For those who enjoy eating there is endless variety. There are lots of quality fast food vans offering burgers, hot dog, chips, tea and coffee. There are also many stalls selling home-made food, cakes, pies, preserves for those wishing to purchase a treat to take home with them.

Arena Entertainment

There is an ongoing programme of entertainment in the main arena throughout the day. This year featured all the regulars such as the vintage cars, fox hounds from the Bedale Hunt, dog agility, sheep dog displays etc. The main arena is a great place to sit and relax and watch the various acts and displays.

Children’s Entertainment

As usual there was plenty to keep the little ones entertained. There were bouncy castles, a massive inflatable slide, go karts, trampolines, kiddies rides and of course Punch and Judy.

The weather was kind for most of the day although we did get wet later in the afternoon. The photos below give an idea of the many different things to see and do. A great day out, can’t wait for next year.

Wine, Wensleydale and Worms: Market Makes Debut (chislehurstnews.wordpress.com)
Natural Wonders: The Yorkshire Dales (independent.co.uk)
On Sheep Dogs, Farming, and the Ethics of Eating Meat (Video) (treehugger.com)

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Punch Fan Finds Fun Come Rain Or Sun!

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Heavy rain kept the crowds away from most events at the start of the Bank Holiday weekend. This young lady would not be put off. She was determined to see the Punch and Judy even if it was pouring down. The show went ahead and a small crowd gathered to join in the fun. Who needs sunshine anyway?

Waiting for Mr Punch

Follow this link for more information about our Punch and Judy Show

Punch and Judy | A Short History (jollygoodfun.co.uk)
Punch and the Devil (jollygoodfun.co.uk)
Punch Arrested! (jollygoodfun.co.uk)

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Eldon Community Centre

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Party Venue | Bishop Auckland

Are you looking for a venue to hold a special occasion

Children’s party
Engagement Party
Wedding Reception
Social Event
Anniversary
Bereavement Reception

Function Room

Modern and purpose built

The Eldon community centre is the perfect venue in the Bishop Auckland area. It has excellent facilities and good parking. It has it’s own bar and buffets are also available.

Good parking

To hire contact:

Dianne on 01388 773309

Ronnie on 01388 777462

The Romans Are Coming!

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Carlisle Racecourse History Day

The Romans have arrived!

The last thing I expected to see when I arrived at Carlisle Racecourse was a Roman Centurian in full armor complete with gladius and shield looking very imposing. Not quite the Roman invasion of Britain but I was just as impressed as I imagine the ancient Brittons were when Julias Ceasar landed his cohorts on the south coast of England in 55 BC.

The gentleman I had encountered was taking part in a special history day at the Racecourse organised in conjunction with a local museum.

Tullie House

Tullie House is Carlisle’s finest visitor attraction with a wide range of features, exhibitions and artefacts all brought together in one impressive museum and art gallery. There are five fantastic galleries with interactive games and activities which help to bring 2000 years of Border History alive.

Roman Frontier Gallery

The Roman Frontier Gallery opened recently and is receiving national and local interest. It promotes the western end of Hadrian’s Wall and describes Carlisle’s 400 years of Roman occupation. Some of the fantastic objects to see are on loan from the British Museum.

I was fascinated by some of the amazing exhibits which the outreach team brought with them to Carlisle Racecourse. I had a go at lifting a suit of armor as worn by a Roman soldier and was amazed at how heavy it was.

Exciting Exhibitions and Events

There are some brilliant forthcoming attractions taking place at Tullie House including Family Learning Sundays ( what a good idea ). Here are a few that caught my eye :

Roman coins
Gadgets and Gizmos
Halloween Scene
Birds, Bugs and Beasts
Natural Science in the North West

You can find out more by visiting the Tullie House web site.

I will certainly be visiting them soon, I hope you do too.

New museums bring local history to life (guardian.co.uk)
New Hadrian’s Wall Exhibition (ansionnachfionn.wordpress.com)
Roman harbour found at Caerleon (bbc.co.uk)
Shock and awe: Nijmegen helmet gives Carlisle museum a boost (guardian.co.uk)

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August Bank Holiday Events

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Great Bank Holiday Events!

Stockton Summer Show

Saturday 27th, Sunday 28th, Monday 29th August: Takes place at Preston Hall Museum and Park, Yarm Road,

All the fun of the fair!

Eaglescliffe, Stockton-on-Tees.

Entertainment includes Festival Circus, Sheep Show, Spectacular Knights of the Crusades, Ridgeside Falconry, Vanders Space Wheel, Battling Cumberland Giants, Peter Leadbeater – Chainsaw Carver, Traditional Punch and Judy plus Magic Shows, stunt action shows, Animal display teams, falconry exhibitions and re-enactments, craft and food stalls, sideshows, fun fair & trade stands, full food service & bar. Plans for this year also include daily performances from the Festival Circus, fun dog show and plenty of community involvement. The programme will be different every day. Also appearing are the Greener Living Roadshow, which promotes environmental issues and sustainability. Admission charges kept deliberately low for 2011 £3.50 & £2.50 + free parking

Thorp Perrow Arboretum

Sunday 28th and Monday 29th : Pirates Day. Join in the fun me hearties. Come and have a great day out with all the family. Have lunch in the tearoom or bring a picnic. Suitable for all ages. Visit the Bird of Prey and Mammal Centre, learn more about birds of prey and associated wildlife, with the enjoyment of hands on experience.

Hemsworth Seaside Day

Friday 26th August: Hemsworth Water Park. This annual event organized by Hemsworth Town Council is always worth a visit. There are donkey rides, ice cream and Punch and Judy Shows, a Fun Fair and FREE face painting too. In addition you can enjoy the park and lake itself.

Wensleydale Show

Saturday August 27th: Wensleydale Agricultural Show is a traditional dales show, located close to Leyburn, North Yorkshire in the heart of Wensleydale. There are main arena events all day and all kinds of interesting trade stands offer a wide range of products and produce, brass bands play and there is even a fairground for the kids with lots of inflatables and rides. We will be there with Punch and Judy Shows from 11am to 3pm. The main arena event will be the dramatic ‘Moto Stunts International’ which includes Car stunts, motorcycle stunt display team, fire stunts and much more.

Tiger Day

Saturday 27th August: Taking place at the Tiger Inn, Easington, North Yorks. A Family Fun Day to raise funds for Help the Heroes. The theme is tigers. Free Face Painting from 12.30 t0 4.30pm. Come and be a Tiger. For more info call Martin on tel 01287 640420.

Roadworks wound up for Bank Holiday (independent.co.uk)
OH NO! The dreaded bank holiday weekend. (memoirsofanimmigrantstudent.wordpress.com)
All the fun of the fair (familymattersmallorca.com)

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Birthday Cakes To Steal The Show

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Magnificent Birthday Cakes

Cup Cakes are very popular

There can be no doubt that birthday cakes have become more elaborate these days. Some birthday cakes I have seen could only be described as magnificent!

To buy or make your own?

When I was a child most mums made the birthday cake themselves. It would be covered in marzipan and then iced. Next it would be sprinkled with hundreds and thousands or lots of those little silver things that reminded me of tiny ball bearings. The top of the cake would be decorated in some way and generally it was surrounded by a fancy, colourful paper wrap. Finally the requisite number of candles would be added as the finishing touch. Most birthday cakes were fairly similar.

In those days most mums were housewives and stayed at home whilst the men went to work. They were used to baking and cooking and had more time on their hands. Now many mums have busy jobs and so time is in short supply. Fortunately the supermarkets all offer ready made cakes and there are plenty of specialist cake shops who will make a cake to order. So for busy mums buying a cake is the best option. For those who can afford the time and who have the necessary skills then the internet can provide a wealth of ideas to fire up your imagination. You can also order up all of the necessary tools and accessories online. It’s all there at the touch of a keyboard.

Types of cake

It seems to me that birthday cakes can be grouped as follows :

Simple : Round or square cake with simple decoration.
Fancy : Round or square with lavish decoration.
Themed : Non standard shape, custom design and decoration.
Cup cakes : individual cakes usually on a special stand, can be simple, fancy or themed.

National Play Day, Meridian Park, Cleethorpes

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National Play Day Event

Wednesday 3rd August 2011

Thousands of people having fun!

This annual event organised by North Lincolnshire County Council just gets better and better every year. There is so much to do for the children and most of the entertainment is absolutely free. A great deal of planning goes into this event and it shows. The event was attended by 6319 people ( according to the person on the gate counting them in and out ). What is more most of them stayed all day.

Entertainment of all kinds!

There really was something for everyone. The organisers had been careful to ensure that there were plenty of activities for the very young children as well as exciting stuff for the older ones. There were inflatable slides, bouncy castles, gladiator jousting, trampolines, bungee running, human table football, craft activities, face painting, live shows even a full circus complete with it’s own massive Big Top circus tent. There was also some quite unusual things as you will see when you browse the photos below.

Perfect weather

The organisers even managed to arrange for a lovely sunny day. It couldn’t have been better although shortly after the event closed there was a massive thunder and lightening storm with torrential rain which must have made clearing up afterwards very difficult. I would imagine there were a lot of very wet event staff and a lot of equipment in need of drying out the next day.

Play Day 2012

If you are looking for something to do next August then put this one in your diary. Find information on the Lincolnshire County Council web site. See you there?

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Newbiggin Maritime Centre | Seaside Day

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Newbiggin Maritime Centre, Northumberland

Punch and Judy on the beach at Newbiggin, Northumberland

Punch and Judy Show

A brand new maritime centre was opened to the public at the weekend.The new purpose built facility cellebrates the history of Newbiggin as a traditional seaside resort. The quaint little seaside town is close to Ashington and is also easily reached from Newcastle and surrounding areas. It has long since been a popular place to visit for fresh air and fun. The centre houses interesting displays and exhibits relating to local culture and history.

Lifeboat “The Mary Joicey”

One of the main exhibits is the fully restored lifeboat the RNLB Mary Joicey, a fine example of this type of lifeboat which was designed to be able to go out to sea in all weathers and perform rescues well away from shore. Today these vessels are obsolete as nearly all modern lifeboats are of the inflatable type because most rescue work is carried out in inshore waters. The inflatables are also much faster and more manouverable. They are also able to get into shallow water and to get close to cliff faces when people get trapped by incoming tides.

The Mary Joicey is a proud reminder of the courage and fortitude of the brave lifeboat crews past and present who put

The Mary Joicey

their own lives at risk saving others.

Seafront Cafe

As well as the exhibition area the new centre also has an excellent cafe with a very good menu including delicious snacks

and some very nice seafood specialities too. The cafe has a large glass front offering good views across the bay. It’s an ideal place to relax and enjoy the comings and goings of the fishing boats to watch people out to enjoy the pleasures of the seaside.

Seaside Fun

The opening of the centre was marked by a ” Seaside Day ” with entertainment of all kinds on the beach and along the promenade. There was Face Painting, , costume characters, Punch and Judy, a steel band, sand castle building competitions, stilt walkers, victorian people ( actors ), chuggy boats ( swing boats ), fairground rides, pony rides, ice cream and refreshments too. The sunshine brought the crowds out and by the afternoon the prom was packed and everyone, young and old was having a great time.

Great place for a day out!

If you are looking for a nice place to go for a day out in Northumberland then do add Newbiggin to your itinerary. The

Seagull characters and Stilt Walkers at the Newbiggin Maritime Centre Seaside Day

Seagulls and Girl Pirate Stilt Walkers

Maritime Centre is an interesting place to visit, the beach is perfect for the children and I heartily recommend the local fish and chips.

Report suggests we do like to be beside the seaside (staveleyhead.co.uk)
Newbiggin Maritime Centre

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Punch and the Devil

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The Devil in Punch and Judy

The Devil ( that's him on the left )

Ask anyone to name some of the characters in a Punch and Judy show and they will probably name Mr Punch, Judy, the baby, the policeman, the crocodile and the sausages ( although sausages are an object they will still be mentioned ). These are the main characters that people are familiar with. Rarely will they mention the Devil. In fact this character is not seen very often in the modern version of the show.

Historical significance

The Devil was once an important character who would regularly appear in plays and stories performed in public places. He was very well known!

In medieval times people were God fearing. The church had great power and influence over the population and it was believed that wrong doers would be damned. They thought that those who lived a good life would be rewarded by going to heaven when they died. Those who were sinners on the other hand would be cast down into the fires of hell.

Hell was presided over by Satan, also known as Beelzebub, Lucifer, “Old Nick” or the Devil. This terrifying apparition, half man, half goat with cloven hooves, a barbed tail, and horns could appear at any moment and carry an evil person off to the underworld.

In modern western society religion is less influential than it once was. People are much better educated and the power of the church has significantly declined. The majority of people do not read the bible, they attach little value to religious education, christian morality or ethics. The Devil has therefore become irrelevant in day to day life except perhaps in novels or Hollywood movies.

Audience reaction

The Devil provides a perfect adversary for Mr Punch even though the children watching have no idea who he really is. In my show the Devil’s first words are “Do you know who I am” The children will often shout in reply “A Vampire!”

The role of the Devil is to punish Mr Punch for being naughty. He begins by telling Mr Punch off. When the Devil tries to take Punch away a fight breaks out. The audience cheer for Mr Punch which results in the devil becoming more and more agitated. Eventually Punch triumphs to the delight of his supporters.

Mr Punch’s confrontation with the Devil is undoubtedly an exciting high point and a great way to end the show.

A favorite character

Of all the characters in my Punch and Judy Show, the Devil is one of my favorites. He always provokes a great reaction from the crowd. He is brash, arrogant and not very like able. A character the audience loves to hate. Although I don’t always use him I know when I do, he will live up to expectations. Always a great crowd pleaser!

Punch and Judy | A Short History (jollygoodfun.co.uk)
Punch Arrested! (jollygoodfun.co.uk)
Hire a Punch and Judy Show

A great family day out!

Preston Park

Fantastic Entertainment

Wet and Windy!

Why I’ve gone right off jazz singers

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The best country show in Yorkshire!

Country Life

Vintage Machinery

Food and Drink

Arena Entertainment

Children’s Entertainment

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Party Venue | Bishop Auckland

Modern and purpose built

To hire contact:

Carlisle Racecourse History Day

Tullie House

Roman Frontier Gallery

Exciting Exhibitions and Events

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Great Bank Holiday Events!

Stockton Summer Show

Thorp Perrow Arboretum

Hemsworth Seaside Day

Wensleydale Show

Tiger Day

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Magnificent Birthday Cakes

To buy or make your own?

Types of cake

Most popular birthday cakes for boys

Most popular birthday cake for girls

Related articles

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National Play Day Event

Wednesday 3rd August 2011

Entertainment of all kinds!

Perfect weather

Play Day 2012

More Events

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Newbiggin Maritime Centre, Northumberland

Lifeboat “The Mary Joicey”

Seafront Cafe

Seaside Fun

Great place for a day out!

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The Devil in Punch and Judy

Historical significance

Audience reaction

A favorite character