All the fun of the Fair!

The Fair's in town! 

It's been held in November since Henry III granted it a Charter in 1228 - I think the Mayor still has to read the decree from the Town Hall balcony to declare it open. And it's quite a rare thing, our Fair, because it's one of the few still held within the town centre (in spite of various attempts to move it to the outskirts in recent years.)

Everything is crammed into the town centre - you can see the showmen in the couple of days before, sizing up exactly where the rides will go and working out exactly how close 'Atmosfear' can get to Primark before your feet hit the walls when you're riding it...

It's three days and four nights of bright lights, loud music, thrills and spills, mouthwatering smells...as well as dirt, uneven pavements, crowds and sometimes, trouble.

It's very much a love-hate thing for the folks who live here.

I have to say; I love it! I'm not a big fan of the rides particularly - my limit is the Dodgems and Twister, but I love the atmosphere and have to walk through at least once a year.

As a child, we'd go down as a family on the Thursday night, because Dad collected football coupons on Fridays and by Saturday, the prices had gone up. As a teenager, I'd go with friends and later on with Mr Squidge and our friends in the Quorn mob. (That's not as bad as it sounds - honest! The lads just all came from a village of that name...) I even came back from uni on Fair Weekends - you just couldn't miss it. When our children arrived, we went back to riding the train and the mini-waltzers - allowing just three rides each, so they had to choose carefully.

This year is the first time both J and T will both be going with friends and we're allowed to wander round on our tod again. Via the pub.

I'll think of you while I'm eating my candyfloss...