Scaldwell Rocks

When the Club Committee set the date for this year's Party in the Park, we made the calamitous error of thinking that weather forecasts were in any way reliable. So, on the promise of a "long, hot, dry summer" we set the date for St Swithin's or the 15th July.

There was a good debate on whether to move the event to the Village Hall (not the least because the BBC was promising earthquakes, meteors, cyclones and heavy snow - or something like that - in the afternoon) but in the end we decided to stick to our guns and enjoy the better acoustics of the tents at the Playing Field.

A terrific team assembled the main marquee plus four gazebos in the morning to make a tented enclosure. The Club Treasurer's optimistic comment of "should take about an hour" was proven horribly wrong as it took 41/2 hours to put everything up (with a huge number of strong guy-ropes) and set up hay bales and a bar.

As it happened, the weather was kind and attendees were treated in the evening to two very professional and entertaining bands. First up on the North Stage (well, some boards on top of tarp) was Park Royal (half of the band come from Scaldwell) who played a great set of music primarily from the 60's and 70's.

Park Royal

Then, on the South Stage, we had Empire from Northampton who delivered a high-energy set of more recent classics.

Empire

All-in-all, a great and entertaining evening. And in the morning the team, some nursing headaches for some reason, came out to dismantle the venue and return the Playing Field to its normal state.

It's impossible to thank everyone individually as this was a true village effort. The Club however would like to thank all those who helped and all those who came. It's nice to know we live in a village where there is still a strong sense of community and people like to come together to enjoy a fun event.