Festival News last updated 6 June 2010 Sunday 06 June 2010: The UK may have been Spelbound this weekend but Simon Cowell and his fellow ‘Britain’s Got Talent’ judges weren’t the only ones celebrating the best of British! As the annual Wetwang Scarecrow Festival drew to a close on Saturday the public had another important decision to make: which scarecrow should be voted the best of this year’s dazzling crop? With thousands of visitors flocking to the village during Scarecrow Week, the Festival organisers - like television’s Simon, Amanda and Piers - knew it would be a fiercely fought competition and a tough one to call. Boy were they right! As the voting ended at 2.45pm there were only a few votes between the favourites for the big prize. Ultimately it was the brilliantly inventive ‘Rockin’ all over the Wolds’ (a tribute to ‘Status Crow’) that stole the show for Hannah Woollaston and her family, who carried off the top prize of £50 – sponsored by Hull Colour Pages. Hot on Hannah’s heels was Andrea Richardson and her family with ‘Spongebob and Friends’: a favourite with all the children, and one that netted its talented maker the second prize of £25. Joint third prize went to ‘Skating on Ice’, made by last year’s second prize winner, Sue Couch and ‘Spring Watch’ by Margaret Griffiths, who cleverly brought to life the show’s well-known TV presenters as well as a selection of their furry friends! Other creations that made it to top ten (full list of winners attached) included: ‘A Long Hard Winter in Wetwang’ by the Dixon Family, ‘Peggy Mitchell at the Queen Vic’ by The Victoria Inn, ‘Mickey and Minnie Mouse’ by John Day and family, ‘Crime Scene’ by Sam and Abigail Frear, ‘Gardeners World’ by Dot Buckle and ‘Harry Potter and Dumbledore’ by Charlotte Dixon. As the last homemade cake was snapped up, the final sale was made at the Craft Fayre and Wetwang began the daunting task of putting the scarecrows to bed for another year, Julia Price, Chair of Wetwang Village Hall Committee, thanked the scarecrow makers, volunteers, stallholders, sponsors and visitors for helping to put on another highly successful event.  It was then announced that the 2010 Festival has raised over £5,000 towards the ongoing upkeep of Wetwang Village Community Hall – a vital resource for residents young and old, from Wetwang and the surrounding villages. With a stunning result like this, we think even Simon Cowell would be compelled to say, “Wetwang really does have talent”.       Wednesday 03 June 2010: The sun is out and there’s a lot to celebrate in Wetwang this weekend! Last Sunday the village threw open its doors and bid a warm welcome to a flood of visitors from across Yorkshire who had travelled to the infamous village for its eighth annual Scarecrow Festival, which continues until this Saturday 5th June. There were hundreds of expectant scarecrow makers, visitors and volunteers packed into the Village Hall last Sunday afternoon to hear who had most impressed the judges in each scarecrow category (full list of winners attached). The judges for this year’s festival were; Mrs Anne O’Connor, headmistress of Wetwang C of E Primary School, Ms Rosemarie Edgerton, manager of Wetwang Pre-School and Mr Frank Wilson, Chair of Wetwang Parish Council. With ‘television programmes or personalities’ as this year’s primary category it was no surprise to see family favourites ‘Deal or No Deal’, ‘Spongebob and Friends’ and ‘Peggy Mitchell at the Queen Vic’ amongst the prizewinners. More interesting twists on the category included ‘Crow-sualty’ and ‘Amy Winehouse says ‘No, no, no to Powerplant’. This year’s ‘out of town’ category was also well-represented with another politically-themed scarecrow ‘Con-Demmed’ carrying off the coveted first prize. At the ceremony, each winner was welcomed up on stage by the judge of their category to receive a certificate, rosette and one of many fabulous prizes donated by local businesses and visitor attractions. Don’t worry if you haven’t made it to Wetwang yet: the fun hasn’t stopped! The Festival continues until Saturday, when the winner of the prestigious public vote will be announced at the Village Hall at 3pm. With £50 and £25 prizes up for grabs competition is fierce and every scarecrow maker is out to win as many visitor votes as possible. You can pick up a programme and a voting form at the Village Hall, where the Craft Fayre, Tombola, Children’s Games and Scarecrow Cafe are open daily from 10am to 4pm. The final prizegiving ceremony will also be followed by the Grand Prize Draw, for which tickets can also be purchased at the Village Hall. For just 25 pence per ticket supporters can win a range of brilliant prizes including £50, £25, a packed hamper, jewellery, chocolates and many more. All proceeds from the Festival contribute towards the upkeep of Wetwang Village Community Hall – a vital resource for villagers young and old, from Wetwang and the surrounding villages.     Another Scarecrow Sequel... Tuesday 18 May 2010: It's hard to believe that we're looking forward to our eighth Scarecrow Festival! In garages, kitchens and sitting rooms across the village of Wetwang residents are hard at work crafting their latest inventions for the eagle eyes of the judges when the Festival opens in two weeks, on Sunday 30th May. Many of our talented scarecrow makers have participated every year in the competition and, as a result, have become a favourite starting or stop off point for many regular visitors who know they'll be treated to a truly creative treat. Whether the humorous take on Sir Alan Sugar and his series 'The Apprentice' brought a smile to your face, or the brilliant recreation of almost the entire cast of 'Beauty and the Beast' made you gasp in awe, or the cheeky 'Where's Pooh?' Tigger-looking-down-the-toilet entry gave you the biggest laugh, the Scarecrow Festival is worth coming back to. Visitors tell us they look forward to this fun, annual, family event and villagers tell us they are incredibly proud to show off Wetwang and all its many attractions and talents in this way. With this year's theme being 'television', I think we can safely say that the Festival today has become more of a long-running soap than a movie remake. Die Hard? Alien? Shrek? Even the most successful films don't reach their eighth season. So, citizens of Wetwang we salute you! And, please, bring on the Scarecrows! The Show will Go On! Monday 01 March 2010: In a newsletter issued today, the Wetwang Village Hall Committee said they were delighted to confirm that the Wetwang Scarecrow Festival will return for its eighth season in 2010. The festival will run, as usual, on the Spring Bank Holiday weekend to coincide with half term (Sunday 30th May to Saturday 5th June). - The judging will take place from 9.30am on the opening Sunday and the judges’ winners will be announced at 3pm that afternoon. - The public vote will run all week, with the winners announced at 3pm on the final Saturday, immediately prior to the Grand Draw at 3.30pm. - All prizegiving events will take place at the Village Hall, where we will be serving tea, coffee, soft drinks, cakes and other light refreshments throughout the week.    Sir Alan Sugar finds favour in Wetwang Monday 31 May 2009: Unlike his hapless apprentices, Sir Alan Sugar certainly did not find himself fired and out of a job this weekend in Wetwang. In fact, his scarecrow look-a-like carried off the coveted title of favourite scarecrow in the village’s annual Scarecrow Festival public vote. At the culmination of a week of visiting and voting, it was Sue George’s tongue-in-cheek creation, The Scarepprentice, that curried the most favour from an estimated 10,000 visitors to Wetwang. In the winning entry, Sir Alan’s papier mache form sat as his boardroom table with arm outstretched, finger pointing , as he fired an unfortunate scarecrow apprentice sitting opposite. Pinned to the window next to him was a speech bubble saying, in a characteristic Sir Alan tone, “Total Disaster. Scarecrows everywhere. You’re fired.” The scarecrow’s stunned creator declared herself “amazed” to have won, with such hot competition from scarecrows the length and breadth of the village. In second place came S. Couch’s amazing recreation of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, followed closely by Andrea Gunner’s The Lion King scene. Ms Gunner is a two time winner of the public vote herself, having carried off the prize in 2008 for Hansel and Gretl and in 2007 for The Wizard of Wetwang. A record-breaking year for the Wetwang scarecrows! Wednesday 27 May 2009: Organisers of Wetwang’s seventh annual Scarecrow Festival are pinching themselves this morning as they emerge from the Festival’s most successful Bank Holiday weekend – ever! The combination of brilliant creations and bright sunshine spelled booming business for the Village Hall’s Scarecrow Café, Tombola and Craft Fayre. “We can barely keep up with demand,” says Sue George, the brains behind the successful Scarecrow Café. “We have fresh cakes and pastries coming in each day from households across Wetwang and its neighbouring villages, yet they are selling out as quickly as we put them on display!” The café is open throughout the week until Saturday 30th May from 11am to 4pm, serving sandwiches, children’s lunchboxes, soft drinks and savoury items as well as the ubiquitous and delicious home-baked goods. Meet our 2009 winners...           Tuesday 26 May 2009: When it comes to the famous Wetwang scarecrows, this year was certainly no disappointment! The winning entries include family favourites such as Beauty and the Beast made by S. Couch, The Lion King made by Andrea Gunner (winner of the public vote in 2007 and 2008), and Tom and Jerry made by Jacob and Olivia Day (aged 4 and 3 respectively). There were three very different but equally excellent prize-winning versions of Jack and the Beanstalk, made by The Dixon Family, by Ron and Ann Ward and by Langtoft School (in the ‘out of town’ scarecrow category). There are also some hilarious comedy scarecrow entries such as ‘Looking for Pooh’ by Hellen Tordoff, ‘Bottomed Out’ by Hannah Woollaston and ‘Making Friends’ by Peter Child. Other novelty entries include ‘Cycle, Recycle – Being E-Crow Friendly’ by Will Huntley and even a mermaid in ‘Look what we Found Among the Haddock’ from Harpers Fish & Chips. The year’s bumper crop of truly fantastic scarecrow inventions intermixes fairytale characters and historical figures with more modern media stars like Peppa Pig, Sir Alan Sugar and The Stig. All in all, say the organisers, Wetwang’s scarecrows are still well worth a visit! The Festival continues until Saturday 30 May.   When our winners met the mayor   Tuesday 26 May 2009: According to the Chair of the Wetwang Village Hall Committee, Emma Day, the highlight of the Festival so far has been in the form of a visit from Wetwang’s celebrity mayor BBC weatherman Paul Hudson, who joined Wetwang’s scarecrow makers and Festival organisers at the Village Hall on Sunday 24 May to award the winners with their certificates and rosettes. “It is such a bonus for the village that Paul supports these events and people really enjoy meeting him – our very own celebrity!” Scarecrow Festival to enjoy the fun of the fair... Friday 15 May 2009: As if all the scarecrows, homemade cakes and Craft Fayre weren't enough, Wetwang Scarecrow Festival organisers are delighted to announce that a funfair will now be running throughout the Festival. The funfair will be situated opposite the Village Hall on Wetwang Primary School's car park. Rides will be priced at £1.50 each, and the fair will be open from 10am to 6pm daily. Hop aboard a teacup or jump on an inflatable or the trampolines - and have fun! The Wetwang Saga continues... Friday 01 May 2009: Local author, David Lunn, will be selling and signing books in the lobby of the Village Hall every afternoon during Scarecrow Week. 'The Wetwang Saga' has been sponsored by the High Wolds Heritage Group and is on sale for £8.95. Grab your copy of the Wolds latest read! In praise of The Wetwang Saga: The story of Fridaythorpe, Fimber and Wetwang: “This is not just for those who have heard of Wetwang. The careful study of the past of these three villages makes it an invaluable guide to the history of nearly every village in England.” Schedule of Scarecrow Festival Events Confirmed Friday 08 May 2009: This year’s festival promises to be packed with exciting activities and events, so make sure you put a few of them in your diary... A prize-giving ceremony for the judges’ winners on Sunday 24 May at 3.15pm for 3.30pm at the Village Hall. Our illustrious mayor Paul Hudson will be at the Village Hall to give out the prizes, with a little help from our judges who include the Head of Wetwang Primary School, Mrs Anne O’Connor, the Head of Wetwang Pre-School, Ms Rosemarie Edgerton and the former Chair of East Riding Council, Councillor Barbara Jefferson. A ‘Scare the Crows’ Evensong also on Sunday 24 May at 6.30pm at St Nicholas’ Church. The whole world is invited to join in this wonderful community event. The singing will be led by the Woldsburn Benefice Choir and the crows will be scared by a sermon from Bishop David Lunn. We are told “a good sing is guaranteed”! The announcement of the winner of the public vote at 3pm on Saturday 30 May at the Village Hall. The crowning of the Scarecrow Festival’s king or queen will be followed by the Grand Draw at 3.30pm and prize-giving for the winners of the children’s competitions. For more information on the latest Scarecrow Festival news, please contact Jilly Rewse-Davies on 236641.