The bad first, it was one of those weekends where the weather
conspired against us. On the build up to the show we had practically
constant rain from the Wednesday before right through to the event
itself. When it wasn't raining the sun shone and the hopes for a dry
weekend grew only to be scuppered a couple of minutes later with
another torrential downpour.
The good bits, and there were many more than the bad, despite the
weather we had a reasonable Saturday, numbers of both exhibitors and
visitors were down on hopes but a show was possible. It was somewhat
curtailed by the soggy nature of the ground. Sunday was wonderful,
the sun shone and the show buzzed with life. The contrast was
amazing, we were wading through the mud on Saturday only to be
suffering from sun burn on the Sunday. Oh the British weather.
in more detail.....
The 2007 show began with rain - many vehicles were expected and
steps had to be taken to preserve the park. We took precautions to
minimise the damage however when a six plus tonne vehicle tries to
move on waterlogged ground ruts were inevitable. Whilst some drivers
churned up the mud credit has to be given to the majority. Only a
couple of engines had to be towed and that was due to older
technologies on these machines not the drivers (slip differentials
were not invented when these machines were built)
Tough decisions had to be take regarding the road run. Usually the
run is open to all who wish to join in however the organisers
concerns relating to the state of the ground had to be taken in to
consideration and after a drivers meeting we were asked to consider
joining in on the run. The concern was that the heavier vehicles may
get stuck leaving and returning to the field which could disjoint
the parade and cause marshalling problems on the public roads. As a
result of this the parade was smaller than had been expected or
hoped for however it was better to be safe and to enable the show to
occur rather than causing problems at the start.
The parade left with some forty, or so, vehicles of varying size,
description and purpose lead as usually by that noisy car with the
bad case of acne followed by the Mayor of Derby in the lead fire
engine. The procession made its way to the hospital where an new entry /
exit route reduced the congestion seen in previous years.
Vehicles were allowed in to the pick up area two by two to pick up the children with Fireman Sam in attendance. One of the stars for the children was the Studebaker, a fully restored American Engine which took the owners some five years to restore (further pictures of this wonderful engine are available in our gallery section)
Upon returning to the park there was a short recess whilst the
safety officer explained the do's and don'ts to the drivers whilst taking part in the displays.
The show consisted of a series of interviews with the drivers having
sedately driven around the arena (high speed runs were banned due to
the conditions) however there were no limits on the noise they could
make, each engine competing to be the loudest as they left the
arena.
The demonstrations consisted of house fires, road traffic accidents,
mad mechanics, chemical incidents and more. When the next show was
being prepared the crowd were entertained with the myriad of side
stalls, fair ground rides, and the superb food and drink available
from the 'Carvery and Grill' and not forgetting the 'Bearded Dwarf'
pub which served first class quality drinks doubling as a refuge
during the frequent rain showers.
Overall numbers were down on the Saturday and the events were
shortened however those attending appeared to enjoy the day granted
the atmosphere was not as previous shows due to the dampness.
The evening brought more rain and sever thunder storms however those
camping had a barbeque at the side of the pub prior to joining in a
charity auction where in excess of three hundred pounds was raised
for the Children's Hospital. My sources tell me the festivities
carried on until dawn.
At sunrise on Sunday the sky was clear and the air was clear, could
today bring the sun we had all missed the previous day.
Obviously it worked, the field began to change colour, areas of
grass turned to red as engines arrived, those put off from joining
on Saturday came to the show. Saturday had been attended by 60% of
those who had pre-booked, Sunday achieved almost full attendance, an
estimate of a hundred preserved vehicles was given, and if the truth
be known that was an under estimate.
Today was the day for the show - the car park was quickly filled
with people parking on the grass and outside the park, everywhere
you looked people were enjoying the sunshine, ice creams abound, the
train rides were full and the mini fire engine ride constantly busy.
The face painter had a busy day turning out works of art with all
proceeds being donated to the Children's Hospital.
The show and safety officers were obviously doing their best to
preserve the ground in that again the speed of vehicles in the arena
was limited and the running order of the displays was constantly
being modified. One event that is always popular was the young fire
person display where junior members of the FSPG are allowed to put
out a fire, this years was a car fire and the children performed
spectacularly. Unfortunately the engine driver got stuck (um! not
sure if this was deliberate) and needed the assistance of Fireman
Sam along with the kids watching the show to pull the engine out of
the arena via a large rope.
Whilst there was a number of memorable attractions at the show a
couple to specifically mention -
The worlds fastest fire engine - When I heard about this I was
intrigued - it turned out to be a Jaguar car which did not
officially exist. It was taken off the production line before it was
given a chassis number and was used to shadow Thrust 2 in it's land
speed record attempt. This was the first time the car had been
allowed out of the museum since its arrival there.. This car / fire
engine was fully equipped and in superb condition. For those who
missed it then you can see it, free of charge, in the Coventry
Transport Museum (www.transport-museum.co.uk)
I've got to mention 'Gizmo' - Gizmo is not a fire engine but an 11
year old blue and gold Macaw, this bird has met The Queen and the PM
(Tony Blair) is an honorary member of ROSPA and The Red Arrows and
auditioned for a role in The Pirates of the Caribbean, he rides his
own car and skate board. For more details contact Parrotaid (www.parrotaid.com)
The Sunday event was great I know I ended up with sun burnt arms
with the usual white band where my watch had been. the amount of
money raised has not yet been obtained however we are all hoping
that we can donate a significant value to the Children's Hospital.
This show is one of the best. How many times can you have a day out,
only paying for parking, mingling with vintage vehicles, enthusiasts
and watch events one only usually hear of in distressing
circumstances.
Great show, long may it survive.