It’s been a while since the last one, but the dream of restoring an annual Village Fete is alive!
Final preparations are coming together for the Enderby Village Fete 2018 to be held on Saturday, September 1st. on the King George V Playing Field, Mill Lane, Enderby.
Many Enderby residents might remember the Village Fete of 30th July 2011 – the first for over 50 years – which was organised in response to suggestions made in the 2010 Enderby Parish Plan – and which was viewed generally as a major success. Plans were made to repeat the event in 2012, drawing on the experience gained.
Unfortunately, despite the excitement and anticipation of Enderby folk, the weather had other ideas. As the date of the 2012 event drew tantalisingly close, Mother Nature decided to intervene with what turned out to be a lengthy period of inclement weather. Over 100mm of rain – more than the average amount for the whole month of June – fell in 24 hours in some areas of the country.
The Fete Committee reluctantly made the decision to cancel the 2012 Enderby Village Fete after several inspections of the King George V Playing Field.
The committee concluded that following the torrential rainfall throughout June and July of that year, the saturated ground meant it was unsafe to be traversed by vehicles and neither would it be conducive to providing a pleasant experience for exhibitors and visitors alike.
After that setback it seemed the appetite for a Village Fete as an annual event was
significantly diminished… until recently (and some 7 years after the last highly successful event).
New ‘Enderby Events Group’ formed
The original fete committee disbanded in 2012 but in an attempt to revive an annual Village Fete, a new Events Group was formed earlier this year.
The new group is comprised of a number of Parish Councillors and interested residents.
The primary focus of the Events Group is the re-establishment of the Enderby Village Fete as an annual event. A decision was taken to hold the new group’s inaugural event on 1st September this year.
The organisers have been busy and the event will feature a Dog Show, Classic Car Show, Live Music, Tug-O-War, Children’s Entertainment (including riding the ‘Little Red Bus!’), A ‘Real Ale’ Bar and of course a wide variety of stalls. Food, drink and ice-creams will also be available. Something to interest all the family!
Everyone involved is keeping their fingers crossed that Mother Nature will behave and this year (instead of showering everyone with rain) she will ‘shower’ her blessings on what promises to be a memorable event.