You see...I knew you'd all have great fun on this thread! ;0) After all, that's what Sidmouth is about isn't it? Fun!

Right then...I'm putting my 'Serious Excitement Hat' on here.

What am I looking forward to at Sidmouth this year?

Well....my young lad has recently started to try and play the fiddle, Phil Beer and Seth Lakeman are two of his heroes, so we'll probably be going to some of the workshops being put on by the music students from Newcastle University. Sidmouth Town Council is donating money towards the children's workshops this year. So that will be fun down in Blackmore Gardens.

I love watching the Morris Dancing and there are loads of teams coming down this year, so that's another thing on my list. The concerts on The Ham...well they go without saying...loads of artists that I really love or have wanted to see for ages.

AND I'm just excited to see what is going to happen!

The craft stalls are going to be done by local people I understand, I'd got a bit fed up with the same old Arena shops/crafts year after year....so that'll be a nice change. I'm excited about what is going to happen in Knowle Park, (The Arena) whether people ARE going to take their music and dancing up there and just do 'whatever they want'.

It'll do the grass up there good to have a rest too! Did you know that every year, after all the Festival things have come down...the grass is all dead....has to be re-turfed. So nature can have a break this year.

I'm also excited to see the future plans for The Arena. I noticed on the other thread that people thought the Arena would never come back, but I don't think that at all! There's a VAST FLAT area in Knowle Park. Why not put a marquee on the flat bit instead? Then rain or shine its all OK!

My back used to ache so badly sitting on that hill. Don't get me wrong, I used to love the view etc., but it was so uncomfortable and if it rained you started to slide down it! It is tremendously steep.
Great for roly-polying though! ;0)

And I'm excited about the colours, the sounds, the way my town will change for a whole week. And hearing Sandra Kerr's Festival Choir and John Kirkpatrick's Festival Band.

AND taking those torches for Gordon Newton and Eddie Upton and watching them being carried to the sea and the flames being laid to rest with the blessing of Sidmouth 2006 upon them.

AND I'm looking forward to knowing how much Sidmouth 2005 is going to raise towards Sidmouth 2006!

Only 113 days to go......

Lizzie :0)

PS.....And HUGS! I'm excited about the Hugs too! ;0)