You are invited

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Mo
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You are invited

Post by Mo »

To Chester for the Northgate festival.
This Sunday if you like ukeleles
Next Sunday 28th July, for the Village Green. At one end of Northgate street there will be a Maypole and a chance to try your hand at weaving the ribbons. I am doing spots for adults and for children. With other musical entertainment in between. And other entertainment / stalls / farmers market up and down the street.

How about a DTL meet-up
Dance caller. http://mo-dance-caller.blogspot.co.uk/p/what-i-do.html
Sunny Clucker enjoyed Folk music and song in mid-Cheshire
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wendy
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Re: You are invited

Post by wendy »

It sounds lovely Mo.
I hope you keep cool when doing your 'thing' it is still going to be HOT !
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albertajune
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Re: You are invited

Post by albertajune »

I can't be there Mo, but I hope it will be a fantastic success. Good luck )t'
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Kuikentje
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Re: You are invited

Post by Kuikentje »

Ooh - maybe...I actually have next weekend to myself (highly unusual) and only live near Wrexham...maybe...
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Mo
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Re: You are invited

Post by Mo »

Great. I'll be the one prancing around wearing a flowery waistcoat, so come and say hello between Maypole spots. The theory is that I'm doing 20 minutes dancing (with passers-by holding the ribbons) then there will be 20 mins music, then me again. My first spot 1.20 and last 4 - 4.20
Dance caller. http://mo-dance-caller.blogspot.co.uk/p/what-i-do.html
Sunny Clucker enjoyed Folk music and song in mid-Cheshire
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Kuikentje
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Re: You are invited

Post by Kuikentje »

See, I also have to choose from going to the last day of Tatton Park Flower Show (or is that Saturday?) and going for a ride - the trouble is all the outdoor things I like to do need the same sort of weather and I'm always stuck with these impossible choices.
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Mo
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Re: You are invited

Post by Mo »

Ah yes, the weather.
Forecast looks OK at the moment (thunder AFTER the event), but I'm panicking a bit about that.
Dance caller. http://mo-dance-caller.blogspot.co.uk/p/what-i-do.html
Sunny Clucker enjoyed Folk music and song in mid-Cheshire
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Mo
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Re: You are invited

Post by Mo »

The revised schedule is the Lord Mayor's pageant at 12.30 - 1.00 (lots of Street Entertainers)

The schedule for 'my' stage is on my blog, elsewhere in Northgate Street there will be story telling, music and other attractions , as well as market stalls.
Dance caller. http://mo-dance-caller.blogspot.co.uk/p/what-i-do.html
Sunny Clucker enjoyed Folk music and song in mid-Cheshire
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Mo
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Where were you all?

Post by Mo »

You missed seeing the
Northgate Synchronised Underwater Maypole Team.

It started out quite fine, all the seats (straw bales) full while the first group sang Folk Songs.
Then I found 6 volunteers in the crowd (never met them before in my life +pinn+ ) and persuaded 2 more to get up. We danced an easy bit (to give false confidence), then offered the spare 8 ribbons (each dancer was holding 2) to the crowd. I would have been happy as long as we had an even number but we filled all 16. Started doing the in and out weaving. A rather ragged start then it all started going rather well and the pole looked good.
Reverse and unplait. That didn't go quite as well and there were several waits while things were sorted out. It was suggested afterwards that 2 blue ribbons had been dropped and picked up by the wrong dancer. Also that some people were overtaking. We had to hurry to finish before the next act was due.
Then we had to hurry because it was drizzling and we needed to finish before the downpour.
Next on stage. Sophie the Busker.
Dance caller. http://mo-dance-caller.blogspot.co.uk/p/what-i-do.html
Sunny Clucker enjoyed Folk music and song in mid-Cheshire
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Mo
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Underwater Maypole

Post by Mo »

The sun didn't come out before the next maypole session, no-one seemed anxious to risk the rain. So my pressed men had reduced to 4, with 4 ribbons each.
We did the easy dance, and ran for cover as the heavens opened, and our musician played a tune. Then it eased off a bit and I got my whip out again. Still only 4. We did the plait but the pole looked rather bare because the ribbons were bunched up. Unplaited, no one else offered to come and get wet, though there were plenty watching stood under shop awnings.

Another singer, on a stage with a good cover. The soundman was confident that on the stage things were dry and safe.
Dance caller. http://mo-dance-caller.blogspot.co.uk/p/what-i-do.html
Sunny Clucker enjoyed Folk music and song in mid-Cheshire
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Mo
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third maypole session

Post by Mo »

It was a warm enough day that my blouse soon dried, OH found a chip shop (and let me steal some on his chips)*, one of the dancers went home to dry out, another found a dry top at bargain price in a charity shop and then it was us again (where was OH - I needed him to dance and he needed to dash to the car to get his concertina for the finale). Just in time he ambled back from the cake shop.
Only 3 pressed, but we got the 8 ribbons filled and did the easy version. Then they offered the spare ribbons and I had just got them filled - old folks, young folks, Japanese tourists, 16 ribbons, when the heavens really opened ( even harder than before). I knew that we wouldn't get to the end of the dance so I told them to drop the ribbons and run for cover. The musician played another tune but the dry stage was not looking very dry now, the wet patch at the front was meeting up with the wet patch at the back. The soundman said Time to Pull the Plug. And the sound of the rain was louder than the music would have been.
We waited quite a while for the rain to ease and the soundman to dry the leads etc.
Then we played some French dance tunes to the crowd who had come out from where-ever they'd been sheltering and were walking past on their way home. Well we were playing for ourselves as much as anything, we enjoy a good session. And now and then someone stopped and heard a tune (clapped even).
Then home.
But where were you?


*If you are ever in Northgate Street Chester we can recommend Blackstocks chips.
Dance caller. http://mo-dance-caller.blogspot.co.uk/p/what-i-do.html
Sunny Clucker enjoyed Folk music and song in mid-Cheshire
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Kuikentje
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Re: You are invited

Post by Kuikentje »

I was hoping to come, Mo, especially after a friend had told me how entertaining it is watching people trying to learn. But I was at church in the morning, didn't get home till midday, then had to go up and poo-pick the horses, which took me another 40 minutes plus travelling time, and it started thundering while I was there, then the heavens opened and all the rain fell out in a big heap, and by the time all that was finished I didn't think you'd still be there.
Sounds like you had a lot of fun though. I love the idea of somebody having to run into a charity shop for dry clothes!
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Mo
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Re: You are invited

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The best of the day was certainly before 2pm.
The sun came out at 5.30 as all the stages were being dismantled and we were making our way back to the car. We'd been given a parking space in a loading bay in an alley behind the organiser's club. The musicians from the stage decided to call it a day but we found that the alley was blocked by sign-age propped up by beer kegs. We found a couple of musicians outside the club so played a few tunes in the beer garden, until another shower. Decided that by driving half on the pavement we could get between the signs and the doorstep and thought we were on our way home when an ambulance car turned into the alley. No way we could back so we waited while she dashed in and the rain pounded on the car.
The end summed up the day really.

Poo picking for hens is enough for me. I'm looking after my daughters horses next week, but at this time of year they stay in the field and field shelter, so my main job will be water. No drive at all, step out of my back gate into her field (a mile from her house so she sometimes comes down pushing a push chair and running after a trike).
Dance caller. http://mo-dance-caller.blogspot.co.uk/p/what-i-do.html
Sunny Clucker enjoyed Folk music and song in mid-Cheshire
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Mo
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Re: You are invited

Post by Mo »

Mo wrote:

Poo picking for hens is enough for me.


Spoke too soon there didn't I.
Emergency phone call - can you do the horses. I've spent all the time since that post scrubbing water tubs and poo-picking field shelter. That little (!) bit of rain has turned the ground in front of the shelter into a swamp, though the shelter itself is baked hard still.
Dance caller. http://mo-dance-caller.blogspot.co.uk/p/what-i-do.html
Sunny Clucker enjoyed Folk music and song in mid-Cheshire
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