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The show opened to a rather abysmal Friday afternoon, 70mph winds battered the site, rain came in drips and very windy drabs and our site layout proved to be rather challenging.
Some really fabulous vehicles though braved the weather and came along thank goodness. The trade area was pretty well covered for a first show, and quite diverse.
Friday evening saw a run to Cleethorpes, albeit in the rain, and a rather excellent night with a disco & karaoke session in the marquee, all in all a pretty decent first day.
Saturday saw more rain although the winds had died somewhat and this was easily our busiest day. The lack of a PA system being delivered was a concern but the hire company assured us that everything was under control and it was just a delay. More delicious vehicles continued to arrive throughout the day.
The sprint opened, sponsored and run by Watsons Rally which was really good fun, many minis were challenging each other with fast circuit times until , youve guessed it the weather closed in and down came the rain.
Club games were later abandoned due to the heavy and persistent rain, as were the parade laps.
The Ashes to Ashes band arrived and another good night began, they were great.
The evening took a turn for the worst however with very heavy rain and some localised flooding, this made our firework display much later than anticipated but worth the wait as Celestial Fireworks pulled all the stops out of what remained of their waterlogged display lasting around 10 minutes. It was most probably the highlight of the show as after this, things went seriously downhill.
Sunday, Unfortunately during Saturday night we had a number of problems with employees of the fairground and also with a pair of local youths trespassing onsite. Key members of staff never got to bed and after a sleep deprived week of show setup this was a disaster for the team.
The PA system after yet more excuses did not arrive, many traders cancelled on the morning fearing bad weather, some did not let us know and some arena acts failed to arrive also, even though they had been paid.
The carwash competition was abandoned after several of the girls failed to attend, again due to weather but we did run a bikini carwash for a while all the same.
The stunt show with Stuntdrive uk went very well and was an impressive display.
The 2 wheel challenge was a bit quiet in all fairness but the sprint ran all day with some very fast cars and very fast times.
The weather although cloudy at first did break into a fairly warm and decent day.
In summary, things were spoiled by acts & traders not arriving, no PA system, lack of staff sleep thanks to the Funfair people, lack of staff enthusiasm, and bad site planning that could not be avoided until we had worked the site.
We thought that we had advertised quite well but judging by feedback this is not the case and we realise that heavier promotion is required next year as is more interaction with different organisations. In other words, we need to ask for help where we need it and be proud that we at least got through the weekend at all considering the pitfalls.
Thanks to all staff for soldiering on and to everyone who came, it is after all you, who make a show worthwhile. Lets look forward to 2011 with anticipation.
2010 Show report (in brief)
