Category Archives: Events

Two upcoming events – Antique Fair and an Opera

1 Reply

Two upcoming events
Bath Street, Abingdon town centre – Saturday 8 July: 10:00 – 15:00
This weekend you will find:
Vintage stalls
Artisan craft stalls
Activities for kids
Live music
Sizzling street food
Vintage and classic cars in the Marketplace

For more information visit http://www.rural-events.co.uk/abingdon.php
Two upcoming events
John Mason School has taken on a whole new venture this year – a production of Henry Purcell’s 1689 opera, Dido and Aeneas. The dedicated cast of 20 students has been working hard since the spring to bring you Purcell’s wonderful story of Dido.

It tells the tale of the Queen of Carthage, Dido, and the Trojan prince, Aeneas. When Aeneas and his crew become shipwrecked in Carthage, he and the Queen fall in love. The path of true love does not run smoothly as some witches plot Dido’s destruction.

The beautiful music will be performed by JMS musicians, and performances will be in the Amey Theatre at Abingdon school on 12th and 13th July.

Tickets are £4 / £3 and are available from Students Services at John Mason School or by calling 01235 524664.

Fund Raising and Fun from Last weekend

5 Replies

Fund Raising
On the Market Place on Saturday, there was a sponsored cycle ride with 16 static cycles raising funds for local charity Against Breast Cancer.
Fund Raising
The Friends of Abingdon Community Hospital had had a good morning and were just packing up when I walked by.
Fund Raising
Also on at the weekend was the Carswell School Fete and the Exbourne Road Street Party. They were all sat down for their Sunday lunch when I cycled by.

The fourth Abingdon Food and Drink Festival

3 Replies

Abingdon Food and Drink Festival
The fourth Abingdon food festival on Saturday the 24th June was the biggest yet. The first two took place at the Miele Experience Centre, and the second two at Rye Farm Meadow, beside Abingdon Bridge
Abingdon Food and Drink Festival
The event is organised by the Rotary Club of Abingdon Vesper. There was a small entrance fee of £3, and programs and raffle tickets also went towards helping raising funds towards their local and international projects – described at their stall and on their web site. Rotary members volunteer their time and skills towards the Rotary motto “Service Above Self”.  In their big tent cookery demonstrations were going on throughout the day.
Abingdon Food and Drink Festival
There were 60 or 70 exhibitors with food and drink on offer, quite a few of them local including from Abingdon: Ask, Dream Doors, Loose Cannon, Majliss, White Horse Leisure, and Wildwood Kitchen. There were lots of free samples to be tried before purchasing on many stalls, but Wildwood were giving away a selection of salads.
Abingdon Food and Drink Festival
At the centre of the festival was an area with picnic tables where a number of groups played music.
Abingdon Food and Drink Festival
There were also a number of good causes with stalls including the Oxford Food Bank – pictured above. They collect fresh food from wholesalers and supermarkets that would otherwise be thrown away and deliver it to around 80 charities, including the Abingdon Food Bank, supplementing the tins and dry food they store at Christchurch on the Northcourt Road.

20th June – St Edmund’s Fair – A Fair of Custard

10 Replies

Great Get Together
Recently I mentioned a walk that visited some places associated with St Edmund of Abingdon. We learned that St. Edmund’s Chapel and St. Edmund’s Fair perpetuated his memory for some time in Abingdon. St Edmund’s Chapel was near St Edmund’s Lane, and St Edmund’s Fair was on the day when St. Edmund was ‘translated’ to become a saint (9th June). As the calendar was changed to come into line with the rest of Europe in 1750 and 11 days added, then we assumed that St Edmund’s Fair would now be on the 20th June one day before the summer solstice.
Great Get Together
Tuesday 9 June 1668 was the day that Samuel Pepys visited Abingdon, on the way from Oxford, and wrote in his diary “At night come to Abingdon, where had been a fair of custard; and met many people and scholars going home; and there did get some pretty good musick, and sang and danced till supper: 5s.”

We also learned that the school fair at St Edmund School takes place on the Saturday nearest 20th June.