Hoping for rain at Stoke Bruerne

LIKE many other events in that part of the country, the organisers of Stoke Bruerne Canal Museum's Annual Gala are hoping for rain, lots of it, before June, but tell us British Waterways will do its level best to get boats through despite lock restrictions, and to maintain water levels.

Scheduled for the weekend of the 8th, 9th, 10th June, working and historic boats, as well as modern craft, are expected to converge upon Stoke Bruerne on the Grand Union Canal for the gala.

Canal heritage

We are told that this year's gala concentrates on celebrating our canal heritage with a larger number of crafts demonstrators than ever before, as well as Stoke Bruerne's new permanent resident blacksmith, Bob Nightingale.

As usual the weekend starts early with an evening performance on the canal side by the waterborne Mikron Theatre Company at 7.30pm on Thursday 7th June and a get-together for boaters and lovers of traditional music with a jam session and bar on the Friday evening. The gala proper begins on Saturday morning 9th June and lasts all weekend.

Stalls

The canal museum will be host to a number of stalls and trading boats, including a tombola, children's face painting, WOW (Wild over Waterways) activities for children, local canal societies and many others offering a variety of produce and displays.

On both days there will be vintage film shows, demonstrations of model boats, a chance to board a trip boat to the tunnel and back; Braunston's famous duo Ramshackle will be performing on the waterside and Kate Saffin will be performing two one-woman plays.

Pirate spectacle

Back by popular demand will be a pirate spectacle, and new for this year, a children's Best Dressed Pirate Competition. So young privateers are encouraged to brush up on their pirate-speak now.