Come to the free Barn Dance at St George’s on Saturday, February 25 at 7pm.
There will be dances suitable for all with clear instructions from caller Kris Lawrence and music by Cajun Boogaloo, and a guest appearance by Jackstraws Morris.
No charge, just come along and have fun. Bring your own drinks and snacks. There will also be a raffle and an opportunity to donate to church funds.
See you there!
Come to the free barn dance at St Mark’s , Upper Hale, on Saturday, October 15th, at 7pm, with local favourites Cajun Boogaloo, well known for their presence at festivals, clubs and pubs around the UK and in Europe.
There will be traditional reels, square dances, circle dances and a lot of fun for all ages and abilities, with clear instructions from caller Kris Lawrence. Those who don’t feel energetic or who need a rest can sit at the tables around the church. People are invited to bring their own food and drink, but tea, coffee and cake will be available for sale. There is no entrance fee but donations are welcome.
Come and join the fun – all ages and abilities welcome!
Sadly, we have had to cancel our Barn Dance which was to be held on April 10. Any tickets bought will be refunded.
Get out those dancing shoes and shake off the Covid blues, dancing to the irresistible sounds of the Cajun Boogaloo trio.
There will be a light supper and you can bring your own snacks and drinks.
Tickets: £15 adults / £7 children / £40 family available from warden.stgeorges@badshotleaandhale.org and in church on Sundays.
Was there something particularly depressing about January this year? We always hold our parish barn dance on the nearest Friday to Candlemas (2nd Feb.). However, this year we sold far fewer tickets. Instead of 80 – 100 attendees, as was the norm for the previous seven years, we had 30 – 40. I don’t think we publicised any less than normal, so it’s a bit of a mystery.
It’s not the only event I’ve been involved in recently that’s been poorly attended or cancelled through lack of interest. I think there’s a general feeling of depression and uncertainty across the country at the moment, leading to an all-pervading apathy.
Anyway, those who did attend enjoyed themselves and we had some good dancing and an excellent supper (thank you Alison and Matthew).
After deducting all expenses, we contributed £233 to parish funds. Last year we managed £688. Quite a contrast. However, it’s never been about making money, but about having an event to bring the parish together.
My thanks to all who attended and helped. I think it may have run its course at the moment and it’s time to try something else next year.
Bob Shatwell
Come to the annual Parish Barn Dance! It is great fun for all the family. Friday 2nd February 2018, 7:00 – 10:30 pm at St George’s GU9 9LU. Adults £12, under 16s £6, Family ticket (2 adults + children) £30.00. Supper included but bring your own drinks. Tickets available from me 01252 314703 robert.shatwell@ntlworld.com or in all the parish churches.
As I write this, we’ve just come back from Sunday lunchtime at the Barley Mow. It’s a tradition (well, the second time we’ve done it, but all traditions have to start sometime). Lesley, myself, and our principle caterers, Alison and Matthew, go off for a celebratory, “We’ve survived another one” meal.
Survival might not seem like an appropriate sentiment, but it’s probably understandable. The rest of the year, we just turn up to dances we’ve been booked to play at, perform, pack up and go away. It’s generally very pleasant, satisfying, but not particularly hard, work.
When you’re involved in organising one yourself, even if it goes smoothly, there’s a lot of work and nervous energy expended. However, the rewards are far greater.
This year was the sixth time we’ve run the event and arguably the most successful. I used to fret, quite unnecessarily, about not having enough people attend. This time I was concerned about having too many. As it was, I think we were near to capacity but OK. Everyone appeared to enjoy themselves, which is all we can ask for.
All the band musicians and Kris, our caller, were from within the parish. It is very pleasing to know we have these resources made freely available. I personally find it very satisfying to see how the younger members of our parish band are going from strength to strength each year. I expect us older musicians will be able to let them get on with it and have a dance ourselves before long!
We started these off hoping to generate a community event. We seem to have succeeded. In doing so, we raised just under £900 for parish funds, but this is definitely a secondary benefit.
My thanks to everyone who helped and everyone who attended.
See you next year!
Bob Shatwell
It’s different when it’s your own.
I’ve been playing for barn dances etc. for most of my life. I’ve played for contra dances in New England, charity events in Italy and community dances in France, plus innumerable weddings, PTAs, church and public events in the UK. They’re generally enjoyable and occasionally dire. One accepts the adulation or indifference at the end of the evening, packs up and goes home with the feeling of a job well done.
But .. it’s different when it’s your own.
Last night we held our fifth annual parish barn dance in St George’s church, Badshot Lea. We had around eighty people from Badshot Lea through to the other end of the parish in Upper Hale, plus friends from the far-flung towns of Alton and Hartley Wintney (!). There is something special about seeing familiar faces obviously enjoying themselves, mingling and generally behaving like a community I felt proud to belong to.
High spots of the evening (for me) were the extra band musicians, generally playing material well outside their previous experience or comfort zones, and actually enjoying themselves. We also had an impromptu display by our two local tap-dancing girls (proudly sporting pink cowboy hats), who felt that the excellent display of Morris dancing by Jack Straws needed interrupting with a bit of local colour.
However, what really brings home the idea of community is the behind-the scenes effort that goes into these events.
The number of helpers turning up on Friday afternoon to prepare the church and on Saturday morning to put everything back in place, were more than we’ve had in previous years and gave a real feeling of commitment, as well as making the job a lot easier.
The organisation, preparation and serving of the food took several days of selfless effort, and meant that those dishing the food out saw little of the dance itself. There were heroic efforts that went into raffle ticket sales and collection on the door, which all added to the amount we were able to donate to church funds.
So, as I sit here and write this, I’m totally exhausted but somewhere there’s a feeling of satisfaction for a job well done. Thank you to everyone who played a part. We made over £450 for parish funds, but in a way this is irrelevant. We had an event full of life and happiness that shone a light through the gloom of a cold January night.
Bob Shatwell
31st January 2015
The Parish of Badshot Lea and Hale 