It is going out to the press this week that Strawberry Fair is going through a major shake up for the 2010 fair. Well we have been looking at this for a couple of months now, first meeting back at the beginning of September (!) to discuss where we felt the fair should go.
In the last couple of years the committee has worked really hard to overcome the problems that a major event can bring. A number of issues that have been tough in the past including camping, disruption to the fairs neighbours and assorted other niggles have all been overcome and the local residents are were more than happy with last years fair.
We felt that we now have an opportunity to look at the fair for the people who come to the fair, the people that we go to all the time and trouble to entertain, the punter.
So we all met and agreed that we wanted to change the culture of the fair, to increase the chance for people to interact, to give all the local community groups a chance to show off what they are all about and to become a hell of a lot more ecologically sound and sustainable.
We obviously dont want to throw everything out and we realise that there is a thriving music scene in the local area so we will still have music but it wont be taking such a central role. The fair is going to be all about smaller entertainment entertaining smaller numbers of people but we are looking to have loads more of it. To do this we need people and groups to get involved.
So far I have been really impressed and pleased with the response we have had and its only just the beginning. I am really excited as to find out just what cambridge can come up with
A lot of the work we have been doing up until now has been putting into place the mechanisms to better allow people and groups to get involved now we feel we are ready to hear what people can come up with, hence the press release going out.
Its exciting times.
Now for a sort of Bridgeypit Bones bit
Hours spent in meetings so far for this years fair = 25
Reports written = 2
Hours outside of meetings = who knows
Stuff I am thinking about today - press strategy, police charging, programming group, how immense the fair is, how much I need sleep.
on 209 radio nice and early tomorrow at 8.15am
