ATMD Diary of 2018
Monday 1st January: danced at the Punch Bowl and Broad Face with Old Speckled Hen. Music in the Broad Face afterwards.
Thursday 22nd April: Mayor’s Challenge at the Brewery Tap where we held on to the trophy by beating the Town Council 21-18.
Saturday 7th April: Danced before the Town Mayor’s Ball at Peachcroft Farm Barn
Sunday 22nd April: danced at Oxford Folk Weekend (1100-1200 Botanic Gardens with Bower Street and Knights of King Ina; 1300-1400 Ashmolean Museum with Bloodstone Border and Aldbrickham Clog & Step)
Monday 23rd April: St George’s Day pub tour at Broad Face, Kings Head & Bell and Punch Bowl with some music in the back room of the Punch Bowl afterwards.
Sunday 6th May: danced at Abingdon Air Show – two shows with the Vale Islanders. Very hot and sunny, so thanks to the Loose Cannon beer tent for shade.
Wednesday 9th May: danced at St Helen’s church for the installation of the new town mayor.
Saturday 26th May: danced at Island Farm Donkey Sanctuary, Brightwell-cum-Sotwell.
Monday 28th May: danced in the evening at Bampton Whitsun Day of Dance as guests of Bampton Traditional Morris. A cracking evening as usual.
Saturday 2nd June: danced at Abingdon Fun in the Park, Abbey Gardens.
Saturday 16th June: Mayor Making. Guest teams Bampton Traditional and Berkshire Bedlam contributed to a very enjoyable day dancing round town and along Ock Street as usual. Once again the ‘Coopers Tavern’ opened up to dispense some free beer on our way to the election announcement and a pair of Belgian flag wavers turned up to give an unexpected and very welcome display. Harry Knight was re-elected with 62 votes, Nic Sipson got 56 votes and Roger Cox 35.
Saturday 7th July: danced at Long Furlong School Summer Fete at 12.30, then Caldecott Primary School Summer Fete at 2pm. Very hot day, so it’s good that school fetes now all seem to serve local beer at very reasonable prices. Finished in time to see the kick-off of England’s World Cup quarter final against Sweden.
Thursday 19th July: danced at the Prince of Wales, Shippon with Old Speckled Hen. A hot night and we danced in a marquee. Enjoyable all the same.
Saturday 21st July: Old Woodstock Mock Mayor Making. Dancing at the Black Prince, then a procession through Blenheim Palace grounds to meet the ‘new town mayor’ and more dancing. After the old town mayor had turned her back on the new town mayor, another procession back to the Black Prince where the mock mayor and most of the committee were thrown into the River Glyme. Just as well our Mayor didn’t do this event.
Saturday 28th July: danced at WADS Stock 2018, Wootton. The heatwave had a temporary break, so we had a rain shower in the middle of the performance and the stalls and tents were in danger of blowing away in the high winds.
Sunday 29th July: Fleurfest, Fleur de Lys, East Hagbourne. Danced along with Rose Hips belly dancers, Vale Islanders, Bampton Traditional and Off the Rails Appalatian dancers. It is now traditional that all teams supply some volunteers for the final belly dance.
Wednesday 1st August: danced at the Plum Pudding, Milton with Icknield Way.
Thursday 16th August: danced at the North Star, Steventon, with a break for the chip van.
Thursday 23rd August: pub tour Drayton, 7.30 Wheatsheaf (outside on the path) and 8.30 Red Lion (inside the bar, with some tunes afterwards).
Sunday 26th August: danced at Peachcroft “Croft Bar” Beer Festival – inside the hall as it was very rainy outside – and then played some tunes in the bar.
Saturday 1st September: danced at the wedding of our fool’s daughter.
Sunday 2nd September: Wallingford Bunkfest: 1130-1200 Market Place with Chiltern Hundreds, 1230-1300 Kinecroft Main Stage with Dawnswyr Blaenafon, 1400-1430 The Dolphin with Leptons, 1530-1600 Market Place with Sharp & Blunt. A very hot day, but very enjoyable too.
Saturday 8th September: Took part in a special weekend in Winster (Derbyshire) to celebrate the life of Roy Witham who kept their tradition alive until their revival in 1977 and then was a stalwart of the team until he sadly died in 2016. It started with the traditional welcome on the Friday night at the Miner’s Standard for us and Bampton and Eynsham with songs and music after the food. On the Saturday morning there was a coach tour through roads not much wider than the coach to Carsington Water and Parwich, two of Roy’s favourite dancing spots. The rain that had been forecast for most of the day very kindly stopped now and then while we danced. Then back to Winster to dance at the Bowling Green, followed by an evening meal and musical do in the Burton Institute where several tributes and memories of Roy were given. Thanks a lot to Winster Morris for their usual excellent hospitality, and to Bampton Traditional and Eynsham for their company.
Sunday 30th September: Old Anchor, dancing at 5pm after the meat draw, then a music session outside in the back yard. Unfortunately the tenants had been given short notice to quit just a few days before and this was their last night. We managed to drink their last pint of draught beer.
Saturday 10th November: Danced before the Bun Throwing to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the signing of the Armistice. Due to heavy rain the dancing was under the shelter of County Hall. The Horns were dressed with poppies in honour of the occasion.
Saturday 1st December: Christmas Extravaganza: Procession at 12.00, dancing in Bath Street 12.30, Market Place 2pm, Bath Street 3pm. Music and drinks in the Punch Bowl.
Saturday 8th December: The Mummers provided the half time entertainment at Oxfolk Ceilidh, Kennington and were able to experience the superb music of the Cock & Bull Band with caller Mary Panton. A very enjoyable evening and a generous collection for this year’s charity Be Free YC (local young carers).
Monday 17th December: The Mummers performed at the Mayor of Abingdon’s Christmas Party for the Over-70s in the Roysse Room.
Tuesday 18th December: Mummers Out of Town Tour – 7.30 Wheatsheaf (Drayton), 8.00 Plum Pudding (Milton), 8.30 Cherry Tree (Steventon), 9.15 North Star (Steventon), 10.00 Red Lion (Drayton).
Thursday 20th December: Mummers Town Tour – 7.30 Punch Bowl, 7.50 Broad Face, 8.20 Kings Head & Bell, 8.45 Old Anchor, 9.15 Grapes, 9.45 Conservative Club, 10.15 Brewery Tap.
The Mummers collected a total of £772.82 for BeFreeYC (local young carers).