Wray Scarecrow Festival and Fair 2012

Description

It’s not only Her Majesty the Queen who has a jubilee in 2012 – some wacky scarecrows will be helping the jubilant villagers of Wray celebrate the Silver Jubilee of their annual country fair this year. And with the Olympics on the way, they’ll all be competing for their places on the winners’ rostrum…

Wray Fair is now an integral part of the ever-popular Wray Scarecrow Festival, one of the ‘cultural’ highlights of the Lune Valley’s calendar. Visitors (but not crows!) flock from far and wide to wander round the picturesque Lancashire village of Wray and enjoy the scarecrows which take over each spring. This year’s festival will start on Saturday 28th April and run through to Wray Fair on Monday 7th May.

The first Wray Fair of the modern era was in 1986 (two were cancelled), so this year’s event will be the 25th – it’s a wonderful achievement, which we’re eager to share. The scarecrows first started to appear in 1994 to help promote the fair, were an immediate hit, and have now become a major attraction in their own right.

To mark the occasion of Wray Fair’s Silver Jubilee, one of this year’s themes for the scarecrows will be ‘Anniversaries’. There are plenty to choose from – 2012 marks 200 years since the birth of Charles Dickens, 100 years since the sinking of the Titanic and, of course, the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee. There’s also a rather significant sporting event taking place in 2012, and so another theme will be ‘Sports and leisure’. Olympic-themed scarecrows will no doubt be jostling for position in the hunt for medals... along with more traditional offerings, topical creations and ingenious moving masterpieces. Virgin Balloon Flights have again generously donated a fabulous champagne balloon flight for two to the lucky overall winner.

There are special events on throughout the festival, some with a sporting theme and others which you can take at your leisure… There’s the 10km Road Race and the Fell Race for all those who fancy themselves as Olympians, with prizes generously sponsored this year by EDF. If a leisurely pace is more your thing, there’s rummaging at the car boot sale, enjoying the spectacle of a village cricket match, or watching the scarecrow balls bobbing down the river.

And if you like to party, the Giant Scarecrow Parade is sure to get you in the mood. Afterwards, I think we all like a bite to eat and a nice cuppa in the Village Institute… local food at its best.

For those who like a bit of nostalgia, there are two exciting new events. On Sunday 29th April the Vintage & Collectables Market promises to be both enjoyable and interesting, and on Thursday 3rd May the Classic Bike Night is all revved up (with a place to go, at the Bridge House Farm Tearooms – more great local food, and an idyllic spot to spend some time). Everyone is welcome to come along to both events, and if you have a classic vehicle (it doesn’t have to be a bike!) why not bring it with you? The more the merrier.

We always save the best till last: the festival concludes with the showpiece event, our 25th Wray Fair. Opened by the cast of The Sound of Music from Morecambe Amateur Operatic & Dramatic Society, the hills will, truly, be alive... an entertainment spectacular is certain to have something for everyone, with demonstrations of rural crafts, fairground rides, classic vehicles, children’s entertainment, rare breeds, charity and trade stalls… and the hilarious ducking stool. A full programme of events in the arena will include duck herding, birds of prey and dog agility – always fascinating, always popular, and a truly memorable part of a great British day out for all the family. You’re guaranteed to leave with a smile on your face.