Mauchline Burns Club

Presented by the Mauchline Burns Club in Partnership with East Ayrshire Council

The Holy Fair

Saturday 24th May.

Headline Act:- Eddi Reader and her full Band.

Eddi Reader explains:- "I sang My Love's Like a Red, Red Rose to a bunch of 'worse for the drink' people in a bar in Glasgow one cold January night and I felt something happening between me and the words and the people listening, something profoundly moving. After all my travels singing songs to people, I recognised this as being a vein of emotional gold as yet unmined ... I began to be spooked by him and started on a journey to find him, Robert, the guy from Ayrshire that I would have drunk with, walked with and probably got into trouble with. I wanted to show him off to everyone, sit folk down and say 'no! no! listen, listen, really listen, listen to this...'"

Also appearing :-

Programme

Last Year The Mauchline Holy Fair Took Place on Saturday 26th May

and it was a Great Success

From The Mauchline Burns Club (2007)

It was with great trepidation that the Mauchline Burns Club accepted the responsibility for arranging the 6th Mauchline Holy Fair on our own with input from East Ayrshire Council Officers. However, after the day's events on Saturday, we were absolutely delighted with the outcome. The feedback we have had so far has been very encouraging.

We feel that the format this year will set the precedent for the future. The children's fairground was particularly successful. The steam engine, big mill and baler were star attractions with adults and children alike. Also, a great many people were delighted to see the Lawrence fairground family coming ‘home'.

The quality, number and diversity of stalls was the best ever and we are grateful to the stallholders for bearing with us during the initial setup. We can only hope that they found it was worthwhile being at our Holy Fair.

The bleaching green was the highlight for many with the exhibits and activities ranging from the old living van to the World War One army encampment and farm implements. History was made when the haggis was addressed (in the presence of the World President) in the actual place where Robert Burns first met Jean Armour. Our grateful thanks to Mrs Mullen for the use of the bleaching green.

Our cooper (not me) is now known as Tommy the Cooper and had an appreciative crowd all day watching him skilfully assemble the barrels. The farrier again proved a huge success.

The helicopter continued to be a very popular attraction and we are indebted to George Ramsay for the use of his field once more.

The street entertainers and screaming preachers were outstanding and made a huge contribution towards the success of our Holy Fair.

All the entertainers in the Church were fully appreciated and performed to full houses.

The position of the Mobile Stage proved to be correct in allowing the maximum number of spectators possible. You should see the pictures taken from the stage!

From the sound of the pipes at the start, to the finale by the MacDonald Brothers, each act revelled in the atmosphere created by the enthusiastic and appreciative crowd.

Mauchline Burns Club could not have presented the Holy Fair without the help of a great many people including our Committee, Burns Club members, friends and very many local residents. To all those people and to anyone inconvenienced by the event, we give our grateful thanks.

If anyone wants a Holy Fair next year and would like to make suggestions, whether for acts or for improvements, please write to the Mauchline Holy Fair, c/o Burns House Museum, Castle Street, Mauchline.

Andrew Cooper

Secretary

Mauchline Burns Club

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