With less than two weeks to go until the Alderley Edge May Fair organisers are pulling out all the stops to make sure this is the biggest and best May Fair yet.
Celebrations will kick off on the evening of Friday, 15th May, in Alderley Edge Park with a fun bowling event starting at 5.30pm. This will be followed by a 5-a-side football tournament, with over 20 teams participating, and the Alderley Edge May Fair 5K, which is open to everyone over the age of 12, will set off at 7pm.
Angie Jackson said "We don't mind how you get round the course. You can run, walk or even have a go at Nordic walking, with the help of Physiofit's instructors. The aim of the event is to encourage fitness and well being in our community in a fun and friendly way as well as rising money for Cardiac Risk in the Young (CRY)."
After this finishes there will be an evening of entertainment in the park, starting at 8pm, with an open mic session on the Golden Triangle Stage. Food and drink will also be available to purchase and some of the stallholders and charities will already be set up so there will be the chance to look around some of the stalls. The events will finish at 10pm.
Organiser Christine Munro said "Providing the sun shines (and I am sure it will!) it should be a really busy evening with something for everyone to enjoy."
On Saturday, 16th May, the Wizards & Witches Wheelbarrow Race, a first for Alderley Edge, will start at 10.30am when teams of Wizards and Witches in fancy dress will race their wheelbarrows from the start line on Chorley Hall Lane up to London Road to finish in the centre of the village. (UPDATE: Unfortunately this event has been cancelled due to a shortage of confirmed entries.)
The fun will start at 10am when the wheelbarrows will assemble at the Chorley Hall Lane Playing Fields for the judging of their fancy dress. Awards for the winning teams will be presented in the park at The Wizard's Arena at 12 noon.
The parade will follow at 11am, again starting at Chorley Hall Lane Playing Fields and marching along London Road and ending up in the park.
Entrants into this year's Fancy Dress Competition, the theme of which is 'Stories from Around the World', are invited to take part in the parade and should meet at Chorley Hall Lane Playing Fields at 10.30am. Fancy Dress will be judged in three age groups: Up to 4 years, 5-8 years and 9-12 years. Judging and prize giving will take place at 12pm in the tennis court and entrants are requested to bring their entry form and hand it into the judges.
After the parade there will be plenty to do in the park from 12 noon until 5pm including a town crier competition for children which will be held in the tennis courts, a donkey derby, dog training demonstrations, clowns, music and dancing, fun fair rides, climbing wall, bouncy castle, fun ball demonstrations, paint ball, putt & pins, Zorb balls and a wide selection of craft, food and drink stalls.
The ever popular Fun Dog Show returns with classes including Cutest Puppy, Best Veteran, Prettiest Bitch, Most Handsome Dog, Best Rescue, Fancy Dress, Waggiest Tail and Most Appealing Eyes.
Entries will be taken on the day and judging will take place around 2.30pm on the tennis courts. Winners will be announced at around 4pm in the Wizard's Arena.
New additions for this year include Titan, the eight foot robot, who will be making appearances throughout the day. He has appeared at prestigious events all over the world including the Abu Dhabi F1 Grand Prix, worked alongside stars including Rihanna, and Will.i.am and made appearances on Big Brother, Daybreak and the Gadget Show.
Another first for the Alderley Edge May Fair is the National Festival Circus which is a mix of laughter and excitement presented under its own big top near the children's playground in the park.
To make it affordable, the organisers have kept admission prices low and will be charging just £2 per adult and £1 per child under 12. You can book your tickets any time during the day but visitors are advised to book early to avoid disappointment. Shows will take place at 12.30pm, 2pm and 3.30pm.
Christine Munro said "Every year we try to find something different for the May Fair. We search the country (and Google!) to find unusual entertainments and attractions. This year we are really excited with what we have on offer.
"Organising the May Fair is a big commitment and I would like to thank all the volunteers who have given so much time and effort into ensuring everything runs smoothly on the day.
"We hope families and friends of Alderley Edge villagers have a wonderful day. Very best wishes also to our May Queen Amy Evans, our Rose Queen Eleanor Whitlow our two princesses Hannah and Nicole Reeves. We hope they will have a fantastic day they will always remember."
Free car parking will be available for the Alderley Edge May Fair on the Chorley Hall Lane Playing Fields - just 50 metres from the park entrance - organisers request that visitors are good neighbours and park here.
The Alderley Edge May Fair is an annual event run by a small group of volunteers who give up their free time to organise it. They desperately need more people to help them if it is to continue in the future. If you would like to get involved please get in touch via email.
Motorists and local residents are advised that Chorley Hall Lane and London Road, from De Trafford Arms to the junction with Ryleys Lane, and Ryleys Lane will be closed for approximately one hour from 10.45am to allow the parade to pass through the village.
Comments
Here's what readers have had to say so far. Why not add your thoughts below.
It's a real shame that the May fair nearly got cancelled due to the conservative parish council objections to access through from the park to chorley hall lane.
I'm sorry to taint this news item with political bent but two parish councillors were directly involved in this disruption and the others sat by and did nothing.
I hope we all have some fine weather for the day!
One little request: Wouldn't it be nice if spectators clapped the parade's entrants. My wife and I who have been lucky enough to have lived in town's with similar events have noticed how muted spectator's responses are in Alderley Edge compared to the other events we have attended. Come on folks please give these public spirited citizens, many of whom are children, the appropriate encouragement.
you are tainting a happy event with a cheap and untrue insinuation.
1. You know full well that the Parish Council has no authority whatsoever over the park or the path from Chorley Hall Lane.
2. At no time has it been a Parish Council policy to object to the May Fair.
3. As the 'lead councillor for parks and open spaces', I would know if I or others were
acting in any way as you suggest. I do not.
4. If individual councillors are against the chopping back of the hedges along that lane or indeed against traffic down the lane, then that is their right as individuals. As it is the the right of anyone. As they may (or may not) have done what you suggest, as individuals, how might I do otherwise than not interfere with them?
5. Am I correct that in previous years, those who objected to chopping back the hedgerow along the lane were actually allotment holders?
http://bit.ly/1Ih9Vct
alderleyedge.com December 2014: "Alderley Edge Parish Council has decided that the path is unsuitable for such a purpose and requested that the May Fair committee finds alternative access to and from the event for vehicles."
Duncan Herald May 2015: "You know full well that the Parish Council has no authority whatsoever over the park or the path from Chorley Hall Lane.
QED.
As per the previous posts the PC were clearly attempting to flex some muscle but didn't include you in the actions.
it was the Town Clerk that wrote to you. DEFRA objected. CE objected. The PC went along with that. You know full well that the PC can't do anything to promote or hinder use of that path.
So you accept that an allotment user complained? 'used by the PC' ? A Victorian drama unfolds?
This is from the AEPC November 2014 minutes
"Cllr Connor asked about getting the hedge alongside Heyes Lane allotment cut back. There was also a discussion about the May Fair committee wanting to cut back the hedge bordering Chorley Hall Lane allotment. Cllr Maczkowiak doesn’t believe this path is a suitable access for the May Fair event and asked that the Parish Council write to the committee saying that they cannot use the path next year for vehicular access to or from the event. It was agreed the Clerk will liaise with Cllr Maczkowiak on the wording for this."
"It was agreed" means the PC agreed to it, that includes you. I am getting very tired of you coming up with the same excuse, "it was nothing to do with me". It clearly was something to do with you.
But when it suits you, Duncan, you can claim sole responsibility for the yellow lines on Lynton Lane.
This is from the AEPC November 2014 minutes
"Cllr Connor asked about getting the hedge alongside Heyes Lane allotment cut back. There was also a discussion about the May Fair committee wanting to cut back the hedge bordering Chorley Hall Lane allotment. Cllr Maczkowiak doesn’t believe this path is a suitable access for the May Fair event and asked that the Parish Council write to the committee saying that they cannot use the path next year for vehicular access to or from the event. It was agreed the Clerk will liaise with Cllr Maczkowiak on the wording for this."
"It was agreed" means the PC agreed to it, that includes you. I am getting very tired of you coming up with the same excuse, "it was nothing to do with me". It clearly was something to do with you.
But when it suits you, Duncan, you can claim sole responsibility for the yellow lines on Lynton Lane.
Just in passing Martin, I did not claim to be solely responsible; you must read the words before you criticise them?
Let's hope the weather holds out for a great day.