Castle Street Party's High Five
Sunday 19 August 2007
The day dawned as dark and overcast as a Leonard Cohen album and by the time the gazebo-erecting team arrived at 09.30, it was chucking it down.
I'd already had a couple of stallholders on the phone saying they wouldn't be coming and I was ready for more. But we weren't going to let a bucket or two of rain put us off were we??
With fewer stalls we tore up the street plan and decided to snuggle up together.
The logistics of keeping the book stall dry, the barbecue, and the health and safety aspects of electricity supply, exercised us for most of the morning. By 11.45 we were almost ready to go (fully expecting to be packing up again soon). At 11.50 the rain stopped and people started arriving!!
The upshot is that, despite fewer stalls and no-one sitting on the grass, there was quite a reasonable turnout and those I spoke to had as good a time as in previous years. This is due to the dedication of those hardy enough to brave the weather (a nearby pub helps it must be said).
In no particular order, and without drawing up any sort of list, lots of thanks must go to the team of helpers (Youssouf, Paul, Sally and The Lions, Smee etc), the entertainers (The Green Onions Sound System, "What's Got Three" jugglers, The Ebony Majorettes, the Guinn family's Blue Peter/Creche, Paradise Wildlife Park, the Fire Fighters), the caterers (barbecuers, The White Horse, Miss Boon Pan), the stallholders, and the party guests (everybody who came).
The final fundraising total is just about £2,000. This is down on last year (but hey!!) and is at this level because of the generosity of the sponsors and suppliers (Longmores Solicitors, Hertford Town Council, Hertford Planning Service, Bill Whitfield, Jim and Viv Thornton, Blades Marketing, East Herts Signs, Adrian Foster of AVF Communications).
Pictures of the 2007 event will be forthcoming in due course.
What's Next?
Um, the 2008 event (Castle Street Party's Six Of The Best?) will be on Sunday 17 August.
Contact me (see email address above) if you are willing to help sponsor the event, want to organise a stall, or buy an advertising slot.
To see the to-do list click here.