Another One Bites The Dust

Subject: Another On Bites The Dust
From: fiddler
Date: 15 Dec 04 - 07:27 AM

Hi all,

Just to add to the Doom Gloom and Despondancy Merchants fayre - I heard last night that a 35 year old steam fair in Berkshire has bitten the dist due to various reasons based on money.

Cynically the discussion that followed went along the lines of : -
Weather
Health and Safety
Security
Insurance

Not neccassarily in that order but.......

This was a multi day event and a large one to boot which did feature Morris Dancing and Clog Dancing as part of it's activities.

I suspect this is (along with Sidmouth) one of many, Are there any more that we know of?

We'll have to get Les Barker to write some political ode to the death of the festival!

Sorry Just thought I had to air that news with you all.

Andy

OK Sorry I know Sidmouth has not gone.

Subject: RE: Another On Bites The Dust
From: Rasener
Date: 15 Dec 04 - 05:16 PM

And there was me thinking that you had a folk version of Queens "Another One Bites The Dust"

What the F*** is wrong with this Bl***y country.

We have let the stupid doo gooders take over with all their crap.

Every time you do something some pratt comes up with a reason why we shouldn't do it.

Sack all these stupid pratts who are spoiling good honest entertainment. Why do they have to decide what is right for us. We know the dangers and if we want to do it, that is our decision, not some stupid idiot who is blessed with the brains of a donkey.

There I have said my piece and a very merry christmas to those who aren't such idiots.

If anybody takes offence you fall into the class of idiot do gooders. Enough said Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

Subject: RE: Another On Bites The Dust
From: wysiwyg
Date: 15 Dec 04 - 05:40 PM

Er, what is a "steam fair"?

~S~

Subject: RE: Another On Bites The Dust
From: Leadfingers
Date: 15 Dec 04 - 06:40 PM

A Traditional Fair with all the 'rides' driven by STEAM rather than electricity ! And LOTS of steam vehicles on show - Lorries , Traction Engines , Road Rollers , Ploughing Engines , and Uncle Tom Cobbley and All !!

Subject: RE: Another On Bites The Dust
From: black walnut
Date: 15 Dec 04 - 06:44 PM

England is so - so FUN!

~b.w.

Subject: RE: Another On Bites The Dust
From: open mike
Date: 15 Dec 04 - 07:12 PM

oh i wasn't imagining that the RIDE were steam powered..how great
or rather how great it WAS!!
here we have steam threshing machinery shows and contests
and some times a steam train and i have been involved in a
group which has steam boats--everything from canoe sized
mini models to tug boats...
http://www.stanleysteamers.com/steamboats.htm
http://www.steamboats.com/links.html
i hope they can find a way to continue this faire..
perhaps at a different location?

Subject: RE: Another On Bites The Dust
From: fiddler
Date: 15 Dec 04 - 08:04 PM

Sadly no chance in 3 years I beleive they have not recovered the loss of past years and cost are rising!!!

A
X

:-(

Subject: RE: Another One Bites The Dust
From: GUEST,Another Festival Organiser
Date: 16 Dec 04 - 03:59 PM

Many Festivals are sadly suffering from the same problems -

* reduced funding from local authorities / local businesses / the Arts Council / other funding bodies

* increased demands and costs relating to health & safety / insurance / SIA-badged security / licensing regulations

The same is true of Steam Rallies and many other events.

Most of these Festivals and events are organised by people who do it for love not money. We don't expect to make huge profits but we cannot afford to make huge losses either.

While many Folk Festivals enjoyed a bumper summer in 2004, the Sidmouth experience proves that even a sell-out success one year doesn't guarantee the event being repeated a year later.

It's not all doom-and-gloom, Festivals such as Trowbridge and Bridgnorth are going from strength-to-strength, but others are struggling and need all the support they can get.

Subject: RE: Another One Bites The Dust
From: GUEST,Andy Patterson
Date: 17 Dec 04 - 02:12 PM

Just seen on the efestivals and Levellers websites that the Highland Gathering near Edinburgh on New Year's Eve appears to have been cancelled.

Is this the last festival to bite the dust in 2004 or the first one to bite the dust in 2005?

Subject: RE: Another One Bites The Dust
From: Ferrara
Date: 17 Dec 04 - 05:40 PM

Don't know how it is in the U.K., but here there are several depressing factors in this sort of thing:

* The rising cost of absolutely everything;
* The increasing numbers of competing events on each and every weekend which causes lowered attendance;
and
* The huge amount of entertainment available in the home, including movies on DVD, TV, and of course the Internet, all of which keep people from going to the trouble of going anywhere at all.

We're feeling it in at the Folklore Society of Greater Washington, and in the world of handcrafting and craft shows too. Our local wood carving club had to give up its annual show. Huge costs, steadily decreasing attendance and income. There is NO good weekend to hold a craft show, there will probably be at least a dozen major shows in easy driving distance of wherever you are.

Oh, and another thing: In our area, there are lots of wealthy corporations etc that drive up prices. One of our sites for the FSGW Getaway got priced out of our range when they did a tiny amount of much needed renovation and started billing the camp as a "Conference Center." We saw the sign and knew it would be the end of its affordability. Yup. They doubled the cost.

Subject: RE: Another One Bites The Dust
From: GUEST,greg stephens
Date: 17 Dec 04 - 06:59 PM

I fear that the story of the cancelled steam fair will be only one a series of such sorry things. I was at Fred Dibnah's funeral a while back, and the rain pouring down on the massed umbrellas of Bolton was a very moving sight, with the streets full of a procession of steam-driven vehicles. Fred's coffin was driven to the church on a trailer behind his steam traction engine, driven very bravely by his teenage son. Now , quite apart from the possible illegality of some of the event, I can't imagine something like that happening again in a town centre in England in ten years time, with the vicious spread of so-called "heaalth and safety" issues, coupled with insurance problems. "No, I'm afraid we didn't take out insurance six months ago, we didn't know which day he was going to die on".
    Definitely the end, as they say, of an era.

Subject: RE: Another One Bites The Dust
From: Leadfingers
Date: 17 Dec 04 - 07:22 PM

And Arts Council Funding only goes to the 'Arts' that the Nobs are interested in !!!