The Annual Town Mayor’s Sunday & Hobby Horse Festival took part in People’s Park on Sunday 4th July. People’s Park looked its best for the occasion and the good people of Banbury flocked to the event not only to sit and watch the arena entertainment but also to relax under the beautiful mature trees with their picnics, to let their children enjoy all the activities of the hobby horse races, fancy dress competitions and fun-fair rides and to soak up the lovely goods that were for sale at the various craft and charity stalls dotted around the fields.
Demonstrations in the main arena included the Monkey Dragon Karate Club, Dogs for the Disabled and also Line Dancing under the supervision of our very own Town Mayor, Councillor Colin Clarke. Both the Fire Service and Police brought in their vehicles much to the enjoyment of the crowds and the Fir Tree Falconry was kept busy all day showing off their magnificent birds of prey. Cherwell District Council brought their Sports Roadshow to keep all the young people active whilst the parents wandered round the CDC Recycling trailer.
Around 70 children took part in the children’s hobby horse games followed a little later in the afternoon by the adult hobby horse races which this year were won by Thames Valley Police. Radio Horton compared the afternoon and then rounded off the event with a short Roadshow much to the delight of the children who enjoyed dancing in the main arena and throwing custard pies at their friends.
The Town Mayor, Councillor Colin Clarke, commented “The day was absolutely fantastic, just what I wanted; lots of arena entertainment, parades and cavorting from the wonderful hobby horse beasts who had come from all over the country to take part, the usual historic hobby horse races for children and adults and an opportunity for people to either relax in the sun with their own picnic or to enjoy the wonderful food and drink on sale. It was good to see this wonderful historic park full and to be enjoyed by so many people.”
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