Monthly Archives: October 2015

Morris Dancing practice season starts soon

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Abingdon Traditional Morris Dancers feature in a music video with the group Stealing Sheep.

There is an interview about the concept behind the video with Dougal Wilson, the director, at
http://www.creativereview.co.uk/cr-blog/2015/october/behind-the-scenes-on-dougal-wilsons-new-video-for-stealing-sheep/

The video was filmed over two days at an idyllic English village location. Cerys Matthews said of the video on BBC Radio 6 “.. makes Morris dancing super cool”.

If you want to be part of the next venture then the Morris practice season is starting soon…
Mr Hemmings practice every Monday in the British Legion on Spring Road at 8pm. First practice is Monday 19th October.
Abingdon Traditional Morris Dancers practice in Trinity Church Hall on alternate Thursdays. First practice is Thursday November 5th at 8pm (Meet beforehand and afterwards in the Brewery Tap).

Anyone can turn up to practice… and you can email the respective bagman to warn them you are coming first.
Abingdon Traditional Morris Dancers: bagman.atmd@gmail.com.
Mr Hemmings Abingdon Traditional Morris Dancers: bagman@mrhemmings.org.uk

There are also opportunities for musicians who can play accordion, fiddle, pipe, or tabor.

Woodcarvers at Abingdon Community Space

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Woodcarvers
The Oxon and Bucks Branch of the British Woodcarvers Association are in residence this week at the Community Space on Bury Street up until Friday 16th October.
Woodcarvers
So you are very welcome to go in and see members at work,
Woodcarvers
see some of their work in progress,
Woodcarvers
and look at some of their finished works.

The branch is ten years old this year, and grew out of an evening class at Abingdon College led by Brian Eastoe. Club projects have included: the Abingdon 450th Charter Plaques, now on display in Abingdon Library; 15 plaques to celebrate 1,000 years of  Oxfordshire; and a Rocking Dragon which raised £10,000 for Help for Heroes.

The branch now meet on Thursday Evenings from 6:45 to 9:00pm at John Mason School They are led by Brian Eastoe, who has been carving for 60 years, and has an amazing collection of tools and books which he brings for the use of members.

Abingdon New builds starting in October 2015

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Abingdon New builds
The Google Street View Camera last visited the Drayton Road in April.
Abingdon New builds
Six months later, trees have been cut down, and building supplies have been delivered to a field off the Drayton Road. For many years it was used by horses. Very soon it will be used for houses.
Abingdon New builds
The Google Camera drove by 65 Oxford Road in June 2015. The trees had already been cleared.
Abingdon New builds
In October, concrete has been poured into a mold cut from the soil – outlining the new build.

Abingdon Runaway Fair and Stratford Mop Coincide

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Abingdon Runaway Fair
The Runaway Fair was in town today. There were not quite so many attractions as usual, but that could because some of them have been enticed away to the big money of the Mop Fair in Stratford-upon-Avon – a fair like our Michaelmas Fair where people traditionally found employment.
Abingdon Runaway Fair
In days gone by people got their annual pay after harvest and went to find their next year’s employment at the Michaelmas Fair. The Runaway Fair, a week or two after, was the chance to escape a bad employment and find something better. Stratford has a traditional Runaway Mop in a week or two.

Stratford is similar to Abingdon in being a riverside town with traffic problems. Like Abingdon, they have had discussions about finding somewhere else, other than the town centre, for the annual fairs. Their District Council even put it to the vote in 2004, and 68% of those responding said it should remain at its current location.