PLANS are coming together for a major Bridgnorth steam festival that will run throughout the summer.
It follows on from the successful Trevithick 200 event last year in the town.
That festival marked the 200th anniversary of the launch of the world’s first steam engine, Catch Me Who Can, by Richard Trevithick.
“We have put together three additional events to the steam rally,” explained co-ordinator Brian Davies. “We will be charging an admission fee to the event.”
“Following last year’s launch, we need to ensure that these will be self-financing and not reliant upon grants and goodwill and this will hopefully enable the festival to grow year on year.”
The main event will be ‘The Rally in the Valley’ over the weekend of July 18 and 19 at Severn Park. Attractions will include a host of traction engines, stationery engines and vintage vehicles, a Victorian music hall and fun fair, a morris dancing competition, as well as coracle-making, pottery, corn milling, printing, Victorian dress-making and basket-weaving demonstrations.
There will also be children’s activities, brass bands, buskers, Punch & Judy shows, entertainment by Dr Sunshine, a food court and licensed bar. On the the Saturday evening there will be live music and entertainment at Severn Park.
The programme of events will kick-off on Thursday, May 21 (7.30pm), with a presentation on ‘Art in the Age of Steam’ at the Castle Hall by Julian Treuherz from the Walker Art Gallery in Liverpool.
On Saturday, June 6 (7.30pm) the Castle Hall will again be the venue, this time for a concert titled ‘The man who put the engine in the chip shop’ by folk singer and songwriter Dave Goulder, plus a support band.
Then on Thursday, July 9 (7.30pm) at the Castle Hall, Christian Woolmar, an internationally-acclaimed authority on transport, will give an illustrated talk on ‘How the railways changed the way we live.’
Tickets will be on sale from Monday, February 23 and can be obtained from outlets to be announced soon.
Further information can be obtained by logging onto the Trevithick 200 website – www.trevithick200.co.uk