The start of the Earlsdon Festival has been moved forward and will now begin on Sunday 20 April with the ‘Fun Day’ in aid of the Mercia MS Therapy Centre at the Old Clarence pub on Hearsall Common. Festival Chair Nigel Lee said, “Our ‘Tug of War’ competition is set to be part of this and we are happy to back such a worthy cause. Please support this event if you can.”
FESITVAL SONG & FRINGE EVENT NEWS
Music plays a big part in the Festival and in addition to a number of concerts a special song has been recorded that celebrates the occasion in all its glory! “The Earlsdon Festival Song 2014” by legendary band Lieutenant Pigeon is now available to buy. The track, which features students from Jill Purser Theatre School’s Musical Theatre Class, name checks many of the sights and sounds of the Festival and is available to download for £1 from the bandcamp website: http://sentfromcoventrytoo.bandcamp.com/track/the-earlsdon-festival-song-2014.
For those who would prefer a physical copy, a CD with two bonus tracks (“Happy Go Lucky Me” and “Coventry’s Singing Dogs”) is on sale now at Over The Moon, 14a Earlsdon Street priced at £5 – but only 21 are available so get there fast if you want one! All proceeds are going to help fund the Festival..
The Albany Club is one of the Festival’s sponsors this year and four gigs will be taking place at the popular venue located at 10 Earlsdon Street. A charity concert featuring local choirs, singer songwriters and bands including One Voice, Section C, Callum Pickard, Last Train Home and The Moonbears will take place on Friday 25 April. All the artists are performing free of charge. Coventry & District Samaritans and Coventry Resource Centre for the Blind are the beneficiaries and admission will be £3 on the door. This concert has been made possible with support from local businesses – Michael Harris Opticians, A P Harvey Wines, Over The Moon, Miss Ellie’s Homemade, CV5 Creative and the Albany Club itself which has waived the normal room hire fee.
Coventry’s hottest ska/reggae band Barb’d Wire will be celebrating Earlsdon’s 2-Tone links with a special fundraising concert in aid of Coventry Music Museum and the 2015 festival on Friday 2 May. This event will be hosted by the Museum Curator Pete Chambers and there may be one or two legends from The Specials and The Selecter in the audience. It is hoped top ska tribute band Ska-Waddy will also be on the bill. The following night Dark Side of the Wall are a must see for all Pink Floyd fans and the line-up is completed by local favourites The Swains on Sunday 4 May. Tickets for these three concerts go on sale from 2 March priced at £10 each. They are available from the bar at the Albany Club or can be reserved by calling Dave Clarke (DC) on 07956 692375.
As ECHO went to press, many more “Festival Fringe” events were being planned. These are set to include a “Tea and Cake” afternoon featuring a special Earlsdon Festival cake made locally by Miss Ellie’s Homemade, activities at Spencer Park organised by the Friends group and a chance to learn more about the history of the area by joining a guided walk lead by Earlsdon Research Group. As well as appearing on May Day, the Coventry Morris Men are also planning to perform outside The City Arms (8pm) and The Royal Oak (9pm) on Tuesday 29 April. A full listing of events will be published in next month’s ECHO. If your organisation or venue would like to stage an event or activity as part of the Festival please get in touch via their facebook page or e-mail Simon Shaw at ginger.simon@hotmail.co.uk with details before 10 March.
MAY DAY
Massey Ferguson Running Club (Massey Runners) and the Kids Run Free charity are planning to get the May Day festivities off to a healthy start with races at the War Memorial Park aimed at young and old alike. A ‘May Day Mile’ for adults and a Festival Kids Race are set to take place in the morning prior to the official opening of the Festival on Earlsdon Street by the Lord Mayor of Coventry.
The Performance Area will be making a return after proving incredibly popular last year and will again be located near the Royal Oak. Further along the street a dedicated ‘Fitness Zone’ is set to make its festival debut, building on the success of Lean Body Vision’s hula hoop and planking challenges last May and also their fabulous ‘Boot Camp’ demonstration.
Demand for stalls on May Day is very high and over half were booked within the first three days of them going on sale. If you are interested in hiring one please contact Sam and Tilly as soon as possible to check on availability via e-mail: sales@tinderboxtoys.co.uk. (Please note that no more bookings for cake stalls are being accepted).
Volunteer stewards are required for the road closure barriers on May Day. Without enough people coming forward the May Day festivities can’t go ahead. Festival Coordinator Helen Atwood said, “Please ‘do your bit for Earlsdon’ and get in touch. A minimum of two hours of your time is all we ask for. Volunteering always looks good on a CV and you will be playing your part in helping to ensure Coventry’s leading community festival takes place.” No experience is required but you must be aged 16+ and of good character. Please contact Helen via e-mail: helenatwood9@gmail.com.
You can also get in touch with the Festival and keep abreast of its news via social media:
Twitter: @Earlsdonfest