As Lizzie will know, Mike and I have now been asked by Julie to present 'Poems & Pints/Open Mic' at the Boar's Head on the Saturday afternoon of the festival - something we have been doing for the last nineteen years. I pointed out to Julie that the traditional way of doing things is for the Saturday session to follow on from us in the evening,and it would make sense if that were to happen this year.
I'm thinking of several ideas for celebrating the 20th anniversary on Saturday afternoon, including a 20th Anniversary Quiz with music tracks from artists who've appeared at Middlewich Festivals since 1990. This is something I'm hoping Lizzie will be able to help with.
Of course, I can only talk about the Boar's Head in this connection, but I'm sure that other pubs will want to make arrangements for sessions etc. once the situation is explained to them.
We must all appreciate the difficulties the committee will be having with so many Middlewich pubs being closed or with temporary management who don't feel able to commit to anything as far as fringe events are concerned, but I can'y help feeling (and here I'm expressing a purely personal view) that many members of the organising committee don't fully appreciate the importance of fringe events and, which is much more disturbing, don't understand the importance of this festival, what it has meant for the town over the years and the very great potential it still has if handled properly.