Ilkeston - Six Days At The Fair
w/e 23 October 2005
All this week's pictures were taken
with a Kodak DX6490
All the main pictures were taken from the same spot
at the corner of South Street and Wharncliffe Road outside the
Co-Op on consecutive days during the week of Ilkeston's 753rd
Annual Charter Fair.
There was nothing unusual about the Market Place on Monday except
most of the seats, bollards and flower planters had already been
removed by council workers. Travelling showmen had been moving
into the town for a number of days and by 10:44am on Tuesday
the erection of their rides and sideshows was already well under
way.
Above are six views of the fair during the course of construction
taken on Tuesday.
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Nearly twenty four hours later at 10:14am on Wednesday, they
were still putting the final touches to the fair and by that
evening the fair opened for business.
Almost there - three more views of the fair taken on Wednesday
before the opening.
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The official opening by the Mayor of Erewash did not take place
until the customary time of mid-day on Thursday and a good crowd
assembled to witness the event. This picture is timed at 12:01pm.
Enjoying the Dodgems and the Waltzer shortly after the official
opening on Thursday.
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The weather took a turn for the worse on Friday and by 18:10pm
hooded jackets and umbrellas were the order of the day. The bright
lights shone on far fewer customers than the showmen would have
liked but even as I returned home, more people were still heading
in the direction of the fair despite the rain.
In the rain but the lights were shining brightly on Friday.
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A much better day on Saturday with sunshine breaking through
the cloud brought many children and families to the fair and
by 14:13pm it was getting pretty crowded.
A fun filled afternoon at a crowded fair on Saturday.
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As soon as the fair closed on Saturday, the rides and sideshows
were dismantled and packed away ready to move on to their next
location. By 11:47am on Sunday morning the transformation was
almost complete and apart from the cars belonging to the congregation
at St Mary's the Market Place was almost back to normal. All
that remains is for the council workers to return at some point
to replace the street furniture.
Sunday and it's almost gone for another year.
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