Archive for July, 2009
Food & Drink Festival puts on weight…
Posted by Culture Vulture in Events, Food on July 30th, 2009
…almost doubling in size in one year!
The launch of Stroud’s very own VegeBurger, the first Stroud Sausage Festival, a beer trail with a difference, and the much-requested return of one restaurant’s Pudding Evening.
These are just some of the highlights unveiled by organisers of Stroud’s second Food and Drink Festival. With 40 events and promotions spread across two weeks in September, the Festival aims to promote the diverse array of food and drink, grown, served and sold in the town.
Visitors will be spoilt for choice, as the Stroud Walking Festival, the annual Stroud Fringe Festival and the Open Eco Homes event will also be held at the same time. Dubbed Stroud Festival Fortnight, more than a hundred events will be spread across 17 days between 4th and 20th September.
The Food and Drink Festival was only intended as a one-off event last year. However traders overwhelmingly voted it a success, with two restaurants enjoying their busiest-ever evenings. Thanks to funding from Stroud Town and Stroud District Councils, organisers were persuaded to do it all again.
Most of the events have limited places and so early booking is advised. A 36-page Festival brochure is available from tourist offices and all participants and full details are available online at www.stroudfestivalfortnight.com
Guild Of Craftsmen Summer Show
Posted by Culture Vulture in Art, Crafts, Events on July 29th, 2009
The Painswick Summer Show is a selling exhibition across a range of media such as jewellery and furniture. It runs 1-31 August with demos at weekends.
Toff Milway – salt glaze potter
Paul Spriggs – furniture maker
Saturday 8 August
Anne Rogers – feltmaker
Sarah Pearson Cooke – Shibori textiles
Saturday 15 August
Richard Bossons and Rita Dawe – stonecarvers
Saturday 29 August
Susan Early – basketmaker – “Willow World”
Val Michael – leatherworker
Discovering the Forest of Dean
Posted by Culture Vulture in Crafts on July 14th, 2009
Discover the story of the Forest, in the heart of the Forest, at Dean Heritage Centre.
Step out into the woodland to experience the lives of charcoal burners, traditional cottage-dwellers, and free miners.
Explore a Victorian Foresters’ cottage, free mine entrance, and charcoal burners camp. An impressive waterwheel and beam engine are also on show. Indoors the museum tells the history of a beautiful Forest formed by an industrial past.
For families, dressing up clothes, craft activities, and trails around the museum provide plenty to occupy everyone – not to mention our brilliant adventure playground. Picnic areas and specially built barbeques can be found around the site.
An exciting programme of events runs throughout the year; including archaeology, geology, mosiacs and a rural skills day. Visit www.deanheritagemuseum.com for full details.
Taming of the Shrew. With Added Shrews
Posted by Culture Vulture in Events on July 2nd, 2009
Summer evening Shakespeare with wildlife all around you? Head for Slimbridge and performances by the Gloucester-based Rain or Shine Theatre Company. The Taming of the Shrew is at WWT Slimbridge Wetland Centre on Sunday 16 August at 7.30pm.
Audiences are invited to bring their own low-backed seating or rugs, and a picnic to maximise their enjoyment of the al fresco performances. True to its name, the company is hoping for a long, hot summer, but will perform whatever the weather, so come prepared just in case!
Tickets are £12 adults, £10 concessions, £7 children and can be purchased by calling David Bell on 01453 891 232. Or visit www.rainorshine.co.uk for tickets.
Open Studios Art Trail
Posted by Culture Vulture in Art, Crafts, Events on July 2nd, 2009
The Open Studios Art Trail is a unique opportunity to talk with a wide variety of individual artists and makers and has been happening for the last 20 years. Come and discover the wonderful wealth of talent abounding in the Forest of Dean during July, as artists open their studios for you to visit, talk about and perhaps buy. All have been busy creating works for you to enjoy. Taster sessions at Taurus Crafts take place from 4th – 26th July. See www.tauruscrafts.co.uk for more details.
Made in the Dean – Proud to be Seen
Posted by Culture Vulture in Art, Crafts on July 1st, 2009
Just west of the Cotswolds, the Forest of Dean is a beautiful ancient forest that is also a hotbed of creativity: known as a centre for art, design and making of a very high standard. Many of the makers are hidden away in homes and workshops, so to ensure that their work can be seen, bigartweb.net offers a virtual gallery where the work of over 65 members can be viewed.
Of course nothing quite beats meeting the artists and the Forest and Wye is a great place to be. You can plan your own individual arts tour by using the online guide or requesting a free copy of the Forest and Wye BigArtGuide. All the artists and craftspeople may be contacted direct and you can arrange to visit them all year round, for a chat, a browse or maybe advice regarding a commission.
To see and buy individual and unique arts and crafts, a permanent display of members’ work – “Made in the Dean – Proud to be seen” – can be found at the Tourist Information Centre in Coleford.