This year saw the first year of the new Radlett Festival, which was formed with a committee of local volunteers, following the demise of the old Radlett Carnival, a few years ago.

Activities mainly took place on the weekend of June 12/13th, consisting of an evening Lakeside Concert and picnic, the traditional Village Fair on the Phillimore Recreation Ground, a young group of actors performing “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”, and the Radlett Players “Midsummer Open Air Show” on the weekend of 19/20th June.

Review: Grand Fair, Sunday 13th June 2004

The day dawned bright and sunny, with a forecast to remain so all day. Even before 8.30 am people were arriving to set up the field, organise tables, put up signs and bunting, erect tents and gazebos, and direct stallholders to their correct spots.

The day before, the Woodville Household (medieval re-enactment) had arrived and set up their tents and camped out in them overnight, to the slight surprise of the local teenagers on motorbikes who were not expecting such company on the field at that time in the evening, and the Hare Krishna team had set up the small stage in the corner by the Pathway entrance. Another Hare Krishna team had erected their small “sleeping beauty” tents at the concert the night before, and so these had to be collected from there and re-erected on the field in the morning, well before 8 a.m. to the surprise of the Head Groundsman who was woken up to come and unlock the gates to the Phillimore Recreation ground in order to let them in!

Very quickly cars, vans and trucks were streaming in to the site to bring all the wide variety of activities coming together to make up the Fair. Suddenly the field was full of stalls and people ready to go. By 11.30 the gates were manned, ready for action, with the two main gates being staffed by Rotary and Round Table, and villagers started to stream in.

James Clappison our M.P. opened the Fair and then, with his family, toured the stalls and activities, while the Mayor of Hertsmere, Councillor Eddy Roach, came and made the draw for the raffle at 3 o’clock .

The afternoon passed very happily with more and more people on the field (and children…. and dogs). The Medivet dog show was a great success, with over 40 dogs on the field at the same time, with no barking, biting or chasing each other at all. They must have all been to the same dog training classes. The music, dancing and singing groups on the small stage were very lively and well supported, compered by Dominic Ingram, lately of the Cat and Fiddle, while the Salsa demonstration from the girls at the Cutting Room got the audience joining in with great gusto.

The main arena housed the medieval group, scouts and guides, brownies and children’s races, as well as the tug of war and dog show, and a children’s theatre group, all expertly compered by Paul Curitz.

Of the raffle prizes, the £1000 Cunard and Beaver Travel cruise voucher was won by 4 year old Matthew Orsich-Lyons and the garden bench by Mr. Kaye. Best Overall Dog was won by Tilly Fisher, a Jack Russell terrier.

Eventually it was time for everyone to go home, with a few sunburnt shoulders (including several of the winning tug of war team, it appeared) but no more injuries requiring treatment from the First Aid tent than one cut finger for the afternoon – a triumph for Health and Safety!

Final figures are still being completed, but the Sunday event raised over £2000 for the new village Youth Fund, for which we thank all the people who came and bought tickets, all those who advertised in the programme or contributed raffle prizes, all the stallholders and helpers on the day, the volunteers on the organising committee, and especially the Hare Krishnas for providing such a lot of people, activities and equipment, and the Radlett Rotary Club for giving the impetus to resurrect the Carnival and get it all going again in the first place.