Ilkeston - The Happening
w/e 14 July 2013
All this week's pictures were taken
with a Kodak DX6490
It was the one of the hottest days of the year so
far with temperatures pushing 28°C (82° F) when the Rotary
Club staged their Midsummer Happening in Victoria Park on Saturday.
The club had a large "Welcome" banner and a stall near
the main entrance to the Happening where they were offering hot
barbecued food but on a day like this cold drinks and ice cream
might have been more tempting.
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We visited the park in the late morning for several reasons.
One was to get there before the crowds arrived in the afternoon;
secondly to avoid the hottest part of the day and thirdly to
observe the civic party arrive at the head of a cavalcade of
classic vehicles just after mid-day.
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The cars parked up in the centre of the park and among them were
these three. Unfortunately I didn't get the details for the top
car in the trio but the middle one was labelled as a 1955 Studebaker
Champion Regal which was imported to UK from New Jersey USA in
May 2012 and the bottom one is a 1967 Ford Thunderbird.
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Classic British cars including Morris and Austin models took
advantage of the shade provided by the trees in the park. The
Austin on the right reminded me of similar black model I drove
for the company I worked for when I first learned to drive in
the 1960s.
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It wasn't all about classic cars though and near the bandstand
there was plenty on offer to keep the children amused.
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There were also tempting offers of candy floss, sweets, Grantham
gingerbreads as well as a selection of toys and games for the
children.
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The main objective though of the Happening is to raise funds
for various charities and these three youngsters at the Royal
Air Forces Association stall proved that charity stalls can be
just as popular with children as the amusements on site.
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All of the charity stalls were not only raising money but, like
the Treetops Hospice stall, were also providing information about
their organisations. The Treetops stall was next the Erewash
Sound who were broadcasting live from the park. The Erewash Sound
bear who we last saw at the carnival in June was also present.
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Another bear from the local bowling alley was lending his support
to the Ben Parker Trust Fund and was collecting for Ben's Den,
a local charity that provides holidays for children with cancer.
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Many of the stalls including this one for the Ilkeston Branch
of the St John Ambulance were manned and womanned by volunteers.
In the afternoon, entertainment was provided around the bandstand
by dancers and singers as well as music from Erewash Sound so
although we were not present then, it should prove to be another
successful day for the Rotary Club's Midsummer Happening.
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