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21/08/2009 - Oh What A
Circus (Carnival)
It's Carnival day, here from the lawn
and the crowds have all ready started turning up in their
hundreds. First of was the Action Entertainment Stunt Shows, and
wow those guys really can show of their skills, doing free falls
and stunts from a 50ft tower certainly caught the breaths of the
spectators! They performed three shows today and all where very
popularly attended.
Today also saw
the final of the both the Junior Field Gun Runners and the
Five-A Side Football, all of the young lads and girls in both of
these events have worked so hard this week to provide you with
entertainment! and we thank them all!
We also said
goodbye to those fabulous girls at the Wake Field Flyr De Lys,
as always these girls have done Dawlish Proud! it just wouldn't
be the same with out them! We wish them all a safe journey home
and can't wait to see them all again next year!
Of course it
can't a carnival day with a procession itself, and despite
peoples doubts that splitting the two days would not be a good
idea, I think we can safely say that it was a huge success. The
kick of was a bit later than expected, but once on the way the
Town started to colour up. It was one of the longest procession
we've had. One of the publics highlights was the Warren Life
Saving Club, who put on a very funny display of saving someone's
life!
Once the
procession was over people retired to the lawn, for the reel
steal band who saw the the public through the night. So what a
success that splitting the two days have been! Lets make next
years even better! Thanks for your all support...still one more
day to go!
20/08/2009 - Sky's Delight For
Airshow
It was an early start for the
committee and their helpers this morning, in order to get ready
for the busy and big day that was ahead of them, most being on
the lawn from 5.00am! (now that requires some dedication!) On
the arena first off was the spectacular Red Sparrows Display
team who took to the grounds to show off their flying skills
(believe it or not they actually taught the red arrows
everything they know!).
After the
arena events where over everyone made their way down to the sea
front for the start of the airshow, and well what can we say,
the crowd turned out in a record binding number, and despite a
bit of drizzel throughout they would not budge for anything!
Many different displays taking to the sky's to entertain well
over 90,000 (final statistics will be confirmed).
One of the
main highlights of course was the fabulous Red Arrows, who this
year put a very different display than previous years, which
kept everyone entertained and wanting more. They didn't end in
their usual way however! Minutes letter a blob of black followed
by 9 lights where coming towards the crowd, this was the Vulcan
Bomber escorted by the Red's themselves (we can assure you this
is very rare and has not happened for 15 years!) - If you never
got a photo they will be available for sale from our
Photographer!
The evening
ending with bar, hog roast and various bands playing live from
the bandstand, this certainly proved to be a hit with the crowd
as hundreds of people flocked to the lawn to soak up the rest of
the day!
Come join us
tomorrow for the Carnival Procession itself! don't forget we are
also going to be joined by the Action Entertainment Stunt Shows!
see you all again tomorrow, make sure you have those coins at
the ready!
19/08/2009 - Dawlish Has Loads
Of Talent!
Once again the Committee had bough
another day of fun packed entertainment for everyone to enjoy.
One of the highlights of today was the Fancy Dress competition,
which is set up for those who wish to enter and be judged for
the procession on Friday. Once again the designers and
their skills have put so much work into making costumes and
wheeled entry's, and managed to create very colourful and
pleasant backdrop to the lawn. Well done to those prize winners,
and to all those who took part.
Later that
evening we saw Dawlish Has Talent! and what a lot of talent they
proved to have! With the judges from Exeter FM along with a
special guest, the applicants took to the stage. Their was a
range of variety from singing, dancing and even musical
instrument playing. This was surly going to be a very hard
decision for the judges. They did come to a decision in the end
(thank god!)
To finish us
was a private function party and auction in order to help raise
money for the Airshow, and what a success that was! Thanks to
all those who donated, provided, bought and sold, its your
support that we thank very much! Well the next event will be the
Airshow, and what a great one it looks to be! see you there
tomorrow!
18/08/2009 - Pram Race Hits A
High
First off today was Junior Pram Race,
a new event to this years programme, and it certainly proved to
be a big hit with the youngsters as 23 entry's turned up in some
spectacularly made prams and outfits. They where split into two
groups of age, then went head to head in a timed run
(unfortunately no alcohol was provided, so they had to make do
with water!) Let's hope it continues to grow in numbers of the
next few years!
With the
weather staying dry once again, the next main event up was the
Baby Show. Loads of people entering to show of their pride and
joys. How the judges managed to come to a final decision we will
never know. At the end of the day they are all winners!
Our last main
event of the day was the Senior Pram Race, and what can we say
about that! A record number of 85 prams made of teams of 3 made
way to the lawn, and what a spectacular sight that was! Many of
the teams had put so much work and effort into making their
prams and they all deserve a big pat on the back! The crowds
turned up in their hundreds to watch the race, one spectator
Adam Birdsey said that "the pram race was really good this
year!" (Don't forget next year you will need to fill out an
entry form!)
What a great
end to another great day! So much is still happening and theirs
still four whole days of entertainment to be enjoyed! See you
there!
18/08/2009 - Radio From The
Sky
This afternoon Exeter FM's Danielle
Spencer took to the sky in the Sky Charters Helicopter along
with our Carnival Royal Family. After the flight a very shaken
but happy Danielle Spencer said that after the first time in a
helicopter it certainly made her stomach turn, but she did
thoroughly enjoy it and would love to do it again.
Don't forget
that if you're interested in taking to the Sky's in a helicopter
ride, tickets are still available! you can obtain these from
Dawlish Tourist Information Centre, Grahams Shoes, Swiftprint or
Stuart Line Cruises. They cost £30. The site is situated in Week
Lane in Dawlish Warren, and will be running until Saturday, so
go and buy yours and take to the sky's!
There is also
catering provided by our friends Hungry Tum Caters, who will be
supplying hot and cold food and drinks!
17/08/2009 - What a
Knockout!
Starting off today was the Kids Races, and what a race they
where. One of the biggest turn outs we have ever had! with over
100 kids entering and running against each other in different
heats to make it to the final, and to win that all important
gold medal! Well done to all those who took part! and the adults
who wanted to make a fool of themselves.
Later on in the afternoon we
had the first of the Knockouts, the juniors. Once again this
event was very popular with the kids, and in the older age
groups we didn't even have enough room for all the those wishing
to participate, with some quick thinking we managed to occupy
them all.
That evening saw the main
event of the day which was the senior knockout, as usual we were
joined by eight teams of very humorous and up for a challenge
groups around the town (mainly from the various pubs). The crowd
turned out in their hundreds to watch the teams go through a
series of very silly challenges. All team managed to put on a
great show (even though they weren't trying).
The day ended with everyone
putting their eyes down to Bingo in the marquee. What a bust day
it has been, and still lots more to come. The committee and
their helpers really do deserve a pat on the back. Shall see you
tomorrow on the lawn!
16/08/2009
- Grand Opening In Style
One of our first
events today was the Children's Boat Race, organised by our own
Adam Dimond. There was a record number of entries this year, and
it certainly seem's to be proving to be a hit with the kids. Not
only do they get to race their paper boat to win money, they
also learn an origami lesson from Adam (who we heard stayed up
all night learning how to do it!) The paper boat race was later
followed by the fantastic Kagemusha Drummers who entertained the
crowd with their special ways of showing off their skills.
That afternoon saw the
official opening of the Carnival Week which was done by our
local member of parliament Richard Younger Ross MP, it also saw
the crowning of our Princess which Peter Cross the Official
England Rugby mascot was given the honours. They where also
joined by other guest. After many different speeches from
various people the guest made way to the main arena where
themselves and the crowd where entertained by many different acts
of entertainment.
One of these was the fabulous
Wakefield Flyr De Lys Majorettes, who stunned the crowd with
their amazing routines and dancing, it was also the time where
we said thank you to two people who have helped out on the
committee for 40 years, Val and Mike Wedlake (Vice Presidents).
Gordon one of the leaders of the Majorettes made a speech to
express his thanks to Val and Mike (which we have been informed
he is not fond of making announcements, so well done Gordon!)
Later that evening we winded
down with more entertainment and ending the evening of with a
church service, which was once again popularly attended. So
here's for tomorrow, come on down! join in! and once again have
fun!
15/08/2009 - The Carnival Fun
Starts!
Today saw the start of the Dawlish
Carnival Week, and we couldn't of asked for a better start! The
sun was shining and rain clouds held off all day. Starting off the
day was the first heat of the Five A-Side Football which proved to be a very
nail biting and exciting games to see whether your favourite team
won! Followed later by hours of fun with entertainment from the
great Mr.Elfric the Jester with his stupidity and clever tricks.
Then throughout the day the were many different displays on in
both the main arena and in the Marquee, one of them was the
Dancing Dog Displays from Sidmouth which proved to be a big
crowd puller and provided the spectators with much fun and
laughter as they watched those very talented dogs undertake
different tricks and dance routines with synchronisation, the trainers and dogs
them self's certainly put on a great show!
Later that evening we saw the
main event of the day being the Raft Race which took place at
Dawlish Sea Front, there were 16 Raft entry's this year (that's
the most we've ever had!), and some very carefully designed ones
too! It was down to the Mayor and his Mayoress to judge the best
dressed raft, a task that they found to be a very difficult one
as there was so many rafts this year and people had put so much effort into it! Finally they decided and it was
time for the Rafts to hit the water for the big race itself! And what a
race it was, all times where very close (accept for those who
ended up being more of a submarine than a raft!)
So that's it for day one! and
is
only an insight to what has been happening on the lawn today, so
to avoid missing out make sure you buy a programme and come on down to the
Lawn in Dawlish! Have fun, we shall see you tomorrow!
30/07/2009
- Carnival Count Down Begins
Dawlish Carnival Week 2009 is now fast approaching
us, with now only a few weeks until this very eventful week takes
place in Dawlish. The Carnival Committee have almost finished
“burning the midnight oil” for yet another year, and are once
again sure that with some major changes to the week with new
events and the change of days between the Air Show and Procession
that it will once again be a very exciting programme of events
that we hope you all enjoy.
This years main changes as I’m sure you are aware of by now will
be that the spectacular Air Show will take place on Thursday
August 20th which will once again include the
spectacular breathtaking Red Arrows among other helicopters, jets
and prop aircraft for your enjoyment, and the Carnival Day and the
Procession will take place on Friday August 21st which
will also not disappoint as it will feature much
entertainment throughout the day including Stunt Shows and the
mile long procession that evening will start from 7.15pm.
If
you are looking to enter one of our events this year then
applications forms are now available from our website by going to
our Carnival homepage and clicking “entry forms” These forms can
also be found from the Dawlish Tourist Information Centre, we
suggest getting them in as early as possible to ensure your space
in the events, and to avoid disappointment.
Please don’t forget if you have any cups/shields etc from previous
years that are still yet to be returned make sure they are now
sent back as they are needed again this year. They can be returned
to the address stated on the bottom of the cup or alternatively
can be dropped of to the South Devon Inn.
With many new events and shows this year it looks to be the
biggest yet, and despite a wet start to the summer the Carnival
Committee are in high spirits that the rain will hold for Carnival
Week, so come along and be apart of it! It only happens once a
year!
Also joining the week this year will see the return of the
Helicopter Pleasure Flights which will give you the chance to see
Dawlish from the air! Now that’s an experience worth having!
Tickets will be available from the Dawlish Tourist Information
Centre, Swiftprint, Grahams Shoes and Stuart Line Cruises, and
will cost £35 Adults and £25 Under 14’s, so why not take the sky’s
and grab your ticket now!
The
Carnival Committee are also calling out for any last minute
willing volunteers that would be free to give up even a few hours
of their time during carnival week to help where needed, this
could be manning a stall, marshalling and getting involved in the
running of the events. If you feel you would be able to help us in
anyway please let us know, thanks!
If
you would like more information about Dawlish Carnival Week or
have an queries or enquiries please email us at publicity@dawlishcarnival.co.uk
Well its almost now time for some laughter and to have a good
time, and remember we get our enjoyment from seeing you enjoy
yourselves, so come along, join in and most importantly have fun!
18/07/2009 - Talent comes to
Dawlish!
This year the Dawlish Carnival Committee will be introducing an
exciting and brand new Competition for the 2009 Dawlish Carnival
Week.
After the success of the previous years Junior Carnival Idol a
singing competition for young people in the Teignbridge area, the
Committee have decided to go one step further this year and get
everyone involved, no matter what the talent or age.
Dawlish Has Talent! will be held form the Bandstand on the Lawn on
Wednesday 19th August 2009. The competition is open to
anyone, individuals and groups. What ever the talent is, whether
it’s singing, dancing, musical or comedy etc, why not step into
the spotlight show it off in front of an audience and before the
judges.
For
your chance to enter the competition and to win a £100 cash prize,
pick up an application form now from South Devon Inn or download
one from our website now.
Get
practicing! And good luck!
16/06/2009 Carnival Chairman Passes Away
Dawlish Carnival Committee have the sad news that our Chairman
Brian Heath recently passed away. Vice Chairman of the committee,
Warren Drew said; 'We have lost a valued colleague, but even more
so, we have lost a trusted and dear friend, and our prayers and
thoughts are with Brian's family at this difficult time. ''Whilst
this has had no doubt, a profound effect on the committee members
who have worked with him over the past 15 years he has been a
member, we are continuing in our plans to put on another superb
event this year.'' The 15 strong committee, including Mr Heath,
have been working hard since last year to rejuvenate the event
with a lot of changes including several new ideas and events.'
Mr Heath played a big part in designing, creating and operating
numerous carnival floats on which he became affectionately known
as “Grandad” to many a carnival royalty member; instigated and
developed, more lately alongside another committee member, the
Dawlish Carnival Airshow which is now talked about by people all
around the world and had the daunting task of chairing the often
lively committee meetings.
Whilst carnival in Dawlish will continue now and into the future
as it has done in the past 40 years in it’s current format, and
much longer before that, it relies on the community volunteer
spirit Brian very much believed in and followed by his involvement
with the carnival and many other good causes throughout his life.
The energy and enjoyment he got from being part of carnival is, as
ever, on offer to anybody inspired to become involved by Mr
Heath's achievements throughout his life.
The Funeral Service will take
place at St. Gregory's Church, Dawlish on Thursday 25th June 2009
at 11:00 a.m. followed by a cremation at 12.15pm at the Exeter and
Devon Crematorium. Donations in memory of Brian, in aid of Dawlish
Hospital or Macmillan Nurses, may be given by retiring collection
or may be sent to J.H Way Funeral Service, 7-9 Brook Street,
Dawlish, Devon, EX7 9AB.
10/06/2009 -
Changes For Carnival
As
many of you will already be aware that there will be some major
changes to the 2009 Dawlish Carnival Week this year, the biggest
change is that the Airshow will take place on Thursday 20th
and the Grand Procession on Friday 21st August.
Both the Airshow
Day and Carnival Day will be full packed of entertainment for all
the family and will contain a Bar and Live Evening Entertainment
from the Lawn.
Another change
in the week's programme is that Charity Day that normally takes
place on the first Saturday of the week will now take place on
Saturday 22nd August (the last Saturday).
The Committee
have also made a complete overhaul of the whole weeks programme
and have introduced many new events and will be moving others
around to enhance and improve the week’s entertainment capacity to
ensure you get the best out of carnival.
Obviously we are
not going to give you the full programme of events, but you will
be able to buy a full colour programme from mid July which will
contain all the scheduled acts and events, these will be available
about 85% of businesses in and around Dawlish.
Some of the new
events that the Committee have scheduled for Carnival Week 2009
include; The Action Entertainment Stunt Show, Dog Show, Junior
Pram Race, Tug O War, "Dawlish Has Talent", Live Music and a
Scavenger Hunt along with many others.
Also throughout
the week we will also have many side stalls, a bouncy castle, a
static wildlife displays, funfair rides, hot food and refreshments
from the marquee and even paintball!
So make sure
those dates are securely in your diary, and if you haven’t already
started building those prams, rafts and floats remembering our
2009 theme is Musicals. Now’s the time to get started! We have
just over 10 weeks to go now!
7/06/2009 -
Carnival Fundraising
The evening took place at the Atmospheric Railway Inn, Starcross,
and saw many things happening throughout the night which included
the main feature of the night ‘Karaoke’ with a twist! People had
to pay 50p to sing a song while the audience could pay a £1 to
stop them; also among the event was a BBQ and Raffle.
The
event was organised and held by the Dawlish Carnival Queen herself
Claire Barnes Northcott and her family/friends. The event was held
in aid of Dawlish Carnival, to help raise money for the float
funds.
Many people throughout the evening hit the stage to sing their
favourite karaoke songs to ‘try’ and impress the audience, among
those people was the Carnival Queens Mother who blew the audience
away with her voice after singing the Pasty Cline song ‘Crazy’,
the Queen herself also sang that evening, with people paying £10
just for her to Sing!
Adam Dimond and Richard Stevens from the Carnival Committee also
joined in the fun and plucked the courage to have a go singing ‘Oh
Boy!’ and ‘I’m A Believer’ (It was just a
shame that Warren Drew couldn’t find the confidence to sing as he
has not sung karaoke for around 12 years, singing last when he was
only 18!)
We
would like to send a big thank you to the following people for
donating prizes for the raffle; Chi Chinese Restaurant (3
course meal for 4 people), Powderham Castle (Family Ticket)
and staff from EDF Energy (£10.00
Voucher & DVD Packs).
Also not forgetting all of those who came along to support the
evening’s events, weather to sing on the karaoke or to throw the
pound in to keep them quiet! With your support it made a great
family fun night out, which everyone seemed to enjoy!
12/05/2009 - Royalty Crowning
The next event that has been organised by the Dawlish Carnival
Committee will be the official Royalty Crowning, which will see
Claire Barnes Northcott
(Queen), Rosie Carew (Princess) and
Anne-Marie Collins (Attendant) crowned by Exeter FM’s James Santer.
The
crowning ceremony will take place from the Bandstand on the Lawn,
Dawlish, from 2.15pm on Sunday 24th May. There will be
a bouncy castle and stalls open earlier in the afternoon.
Once the Royalty have been crowned, you are all invited to watch
an afternoons of entertainment which will include the daredevils,
breathtaking Red Sparrows Display Team who will take to the Sky’s
(or ground), also joining us will be the Tae Kwon Do team, Mr
Pitts and his sheep dog demonstration and Kathy Luxton and her
Belly Dancers.
So
come along and join us in a great afternoon of entertainment, and
support the Royalty as they are crowned and ready to perform their
first Royal duties for Dawlish.
09/03/2009 - Oh
What A Night!
The night started off with a disco, with many families and
youngsters turning out, with some in the hope of becoming Royalty
for Dawlish and the Carnival, after the floor started filling the
Committee began the Royalty Selection.
The
judges was taken place by members from Ashburton Carnival, Donna,
Mike, Dawn and Mike who we would like to thank for taking their
time and making the effort to select our royalty for us.
The
selection started by calling young girls aged from 9 to 11 who
would like to stand for Attendant, there where only two girls who
stepped forward for this, however it was soon adjusted by two of
our Committee members Adam and Derek who thought they had a chance
(no chance). The judges asked the hopefuls a series of questions
and then the disco commenced again.
After a short break with disco the girls aged 12 to 14 wishing to
stand for princess were called forward, once again there were only
two, so Adam and Derek stepped in once again. When asked why he
would like to be a princess Derek replied “because I’m having fun”
The judges took their time finding out about each girl, with only
two hopefuls for the past two groups it was surely going to be a
hard decision for the judges to make.
Before the disco started again, there was a member from the
Children’s Hospice South West, Mr Tony Moore, who attended to
collect a check from the Committee for £300 which was raised from
the result of the Santa’s Grotto during the towns Christmas
market. Mr Moore said that he thanks the committee for the time
and hard work to enable to raise this money.
Shortly after the disco started again, the contenders for Queen
were called up, this time seeing 5 girls coming forward, as if it
wasn’t hard enough already. However by this time the some members
of the Committee had taken it too seriously and decided to enter,
this time Roz and Mandi joining both Adam and Derek in Drag. This
time around the judges asked some more difficult questions, which
the girls had to think about and answer, putting them all to the
test.
Once all the girls had been seen the disco began for the last time
while the judges had to take a lot of thought and hard decision
making in who will be the chosen as Royalty for 2009. After a long
discussion the judges finally had their answer.
For
2009 in reverse order we will see Anne-Marie Collins as Attendant and Stevie Anderson as her understudy, Rosie Carew as Princess and
Hazel Anderson as her understudy and finally
Claire Barnes Northcott as Queen
and Lauren Anthony as understudy. We congratulate those who were
lucky enough to be chosen, and hope they enjoy there year as
Royalty for Dawlish.
As
with any carnival event, everyone is a winner (even those
committee members who added some fun and entertainment to the
evening – or at least tried) and with out those who were
unfortunate, there would be no competition, so we thank you all
and hope you try again in the future.
The
next event being run by the Carnival Committee will be the Easter
Bonnet Parade, which shall take place on Sunday 12th
April, we hope to see you all there.
22/01/2009 -
Youth Disco & Royalty Selection
The next event will be the Carnival Disco and Royalty Selection
this will take place on Friday 6th March 2009
at Seasiders, Sandy Lane, Dawlish, (Formerly Dawlish Town Football
Club House). Doors open at 7.00pm and there will be a small on
door entry of £1.50.
The event is a Disco for all the family to come along and enjoy a
night out, which will also see the selection of the Royal Family
for 2009. If chosen to become Royalty the duties involve visiting
other carnivals around the Devon circuit and most importantly
attending our own carnival week and procession.
If anyone wishes to enter for royalty, they simply have to turn up
on the night and come forward when there class is called. The
classes and ages are as follows: Queen - 15+, Princess - 12 to 14
years and Attendant 9 - 11 years, please notice that parental
permission is required for you to enter for royalty.
So come along for a great night out, bring the family along and
see who will become Carnival Royalty for Dawlish 2009.
Also
a reminder that Dawlish Carnival will take place from 15th - 22nd
August seeing the Airshow on Thursday 20th and the Grand
Procession on Friday 21st August 2009.
20/01/2009 - Theme Announced For 2009
For 2009 the committee
have decided the theme for the carnival will be Musicals, as this
year is a popular year for musicals and many TV shows have been
aired such as "how do you solve a problem like Maria" etc, the
committee feel this should bring a many magical window displays
this year and should give the general theme of the carnival a very
colourful backdrop.
12/01/2009 - Carnival To Spread The Fun For 2009
In August of 2008 Dawlish Carnival held its 40th
annual Carnival Week. With this special year it saw a spectacular
airshow with over 18 displays from ground to the air. It also
brought with it an outstanding estimated record number of around
90,000 spectators.
On this one day alone the town is full with
visitors and spectators from all around the country, and the shop
trade is dramatically increased.
It has now become such a big mainstream event for
such a small town, that the Committee have had to take some
serious thought into the how the airshow/carnival day is run,
after all health and safety is a priority these days and has to
come first. And with so little manpower it proves to be a lot of
work for such a small team to put into one day.
Although the dedicated team who organise and help
to put on this great event work so hard to make it that perfect
family day out, it has been decided after a long discussion
between the committee, to move the procession to the Friday
evening of carnival week.
But fear not, both the airshow and procession will
continue to grow from strength to strength, and for 2009 the
committee will be planning not one but two full nights of
entertainment on the lawn with music and a licensed bar on both
evenings and to enhance the day programme on the Friday to retain
the thousands of visitors in the town for another great day of
entertainment.
For 2009 we will see Carnival Week run from 15th
– 22nd August with the Airshow on Thursday 20th
August and the Procession on Friday 21st August, which
will certainly end the week on a high.
Don’t forget to book the time off work, and if your
on holiday book those dates now!, it has now become an
internationally known airshow and one of the best full weeks of
entertainment around.
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