Another night at the fair.

The weather has been good for both days of the fair. Some people came back for a second night.

I did a video tour of the bigger rides.

The late afternoon sun brightened the route of the fair along Ock Street and High Street to the Market Place.

Crowds streamed in both directions

and the sun went down, and darkness came, and the children’s rides slowed.

The bright lights of the bigger fair rides and their pulsing music then vied for people’s attention.

Personally, I prefer to watch and take pictures, which is almost as thrilling as going on the rides.

Low scores are better in some places in the fair where scoring under 40 with four darts can win a prize. Under 12 wins a big prize.

Cuddly octopus prizes seemed to be a favourite on several stalls. On this one you need to score over 30 for a big octopus but every player gets an octopus.

Bob Marley reggae music pulsed from a shop at the top of West St Helen Street, its yellow, green, and black balloons celebrating Jamaica. A new caterer, advertising and serving Afro-Caribbean cuisine, will open there and are there for the fair.

And for those who had not overindulged in chorizos, candy floss, freshly cooked doughnuts, or overly bumpy or upside-down rides, there were also curries, fish and chips, German sausages, and foods from all around the world at the Abingdon Michaelmas Fair.

Members of Abingdon Baptist Church were out taking refreshments round as the Abingdon Michaelmas Fair was being set up in the morning. Their tea tray service has become quite a tradition.

In the evening, the Fair Service at 7 pm was well-attended. The Mayor of Abingdon-on-Thames, Councillor Gwyneth Lewis, thanked everyone who made the fair possible, especially the cleaners who work between Tuesday night and Wednesday morning to make it look as if the fair had never been there. She handed over to Deacon Selina Nisbett, who said, among other things, “As we watch the courageous people who are held upside down on rides, may we remember the inverting message of Jesus’s gospel that the first will be last and the last will be first.”

The Abbey Brass accompanied the singing of the hymns, and then people had a free ride on the carousel horses. Willie Wilson of Bob Wilson’s Funfairs was there behind the scenes to ensure the Fair Service ran smoothly, and made sure the band had light to read their music.