West Hallam - Festival Day
w/e 26 September 2021
All of this week's pictures were taken with a Kodak DX6490
The West Hallam Well Dressing Festival was curtailed
this year by the pandemic restrictions but it was planned to
hold a Festival Day in September as a second part to the event.
I didn't think at the time of the Well Dressings in July (link) that we would be able
to attend but as it turned out, we did indeed manage to go and
here are some pictures from the celebrations on September 18th.
In a normal year the road through the village would be closed
to traffic and lined with stalls interspersed with the Well Dressings.
This year they were on display in July but on the Festival Day
the road (called The Village) was closed again and the stalls
returned to the village centre.
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Entertainment was provided by various groups or individuals who
moved to different locations in the village centre throughout
the afternoon and when we were there, the Ripley Morris Men were
dancing in School Square.
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One of the stalls in The Village was being run by the Friends of Bennerley Viaduct who will soon
be enjoying their own celebrations when the viaduct is re-opened
to the public after 50 years of closure.
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On the other side of the road was the West Hallam and District
W.I.'s stall which was placed in front of the Scarecrow Headquarters.
A Scarecrow Trail is usually held each year at the same time
as the Well Dressing Festival.
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Two scarecrows were placed in front of the HQ where Trail leaflets
could be bought and another was standing in the adjacent drive.
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As well as running a stall at the Festival, the West Hallam and
District W.I. had also made a scarecrow and it could be found
outside the Village Hall. With a nod towards the TV programme,
they had named it "Bake Off Betty".
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At the usual Well Dressing Festival the yard in front of the
Hall is filled with well dressing displays but on this Festival
Day the area had been taken over by various craft stalls.
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There were many more craft stalls in the yard behind and at the
side of the Village Hall.
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As well as the Morris Men we had seen earlier we also saw a barrel
organ being played in the The Village and a children's entertainer
in The Dales Car Park. These and more moved around the village
centre throughout the afternoon to keep everyone entertained.
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Something else to keep the children entertained was standing
in The Dales Car Park. On first sight it appeared to be a tank
but actually it was a simulated cave with climbing walls and
a maze of tunnels inside.
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