Yetminster Fair
Yes, it s almost time for Yetminsters annual all day party. We are due a good spell of weather this year because someone in 1998 was frowning upon us. Although, I have to confess, I did enjoy sliding down the field in the Yettibus at the end of the concert. I came to the conclusion that I would be quite good at skiing if I had four wheels underneath me.
Ron Page has officially retired as Chairman although I know he is keeping a good eye on what goes on and offering help when needed. Your contact for tickets this year is Mrs Lorraine Foster, [contact details removed] (evenings and weekends). Tickets for the evening concert are £6 for adults and £4.50 for children and OAPS. Cheques payable to ‘Yetminster Fair Association please. See you on the day and don't bother to bring your brolly's Who said that? That s just asking for trouble.
Normally we have a pre Yetminster Fair singalong at The Weavers Club, Westbury, Sherborne on the Friday night, but this year we have had an offer of work we cannot refuse. Business is business, I'm afraid. However, Bob Fitzpatrick and Cyril White will make you very welcome at The Weavers and if some of you want to take your instruments along and have a sing song then go to it.
Recording March 19th
I know I keep saying this but THANK YOU one and all for supporting us in Sherborne on the 19th of March. It was a very hectic day for us and I m not sure if my grey cells (both of them) have recovered yet. We have listened to a test CD and the chorus singing is wonderful. I thought we wouldn't top the atmosphere on ‘Cigarettes and Whiskey and Wild, Wild Singing' but I was wrong. Experience has taught me that release dates for recordings are rarely met but preparations for a June launch are steaming ahead at a high rate of knots. The CD/cassette will be called ‘Wild Mountain Thyme' and I shall look forward to some more wild, wild selling.
We also installed a film crew for the night and the recording will be followed up, hopefully in the not too far distant future, by a video of the concert. We can use a lot more of the chatter on the video and, of course, there will be shots of you, the audience plus anything else that caught the crew's eye through the evening.
Yetties Internet and E-mail
I have been putting the Internet and E-mail addresses in the Newsletter for years now without really knowing what I was talking about and, quite often, getting the Internet bit wrong, We decided that this couldn't go on so now we have all the gubbins installed and I am learning to push the thingymejigs in the right order. I know I shall never get the complete hang of it but is is fun trying. Anyway, your E-mails now come directly to the Sartin household. Woosh, woosh, woosh from all over the world. Magic. Web Site Address: http://www.shogun.co.uk/yetties/ [contact details removed]
Note: The Web address and E-mail have changed to:
Web Address: http://www.theyetties.co.uk/
[contact details removed]
River Stour Video
Early last year Peter Shaw, editor of Dorset Magazine asked myself and Phil and Jenny Biggs of Classic Video if we would be prepared to make a one hour video of the River Stour, starting at the source and wandering down to the sea at Christchurch. This seemed like a jolly interesting little project and so we started the research necessary before filming starts. The people we met along the river were wonderful. They kept pushing valuable archive photographs our way and gave us so much information that it quickly became apparent that 1 video would not do. We therefore prevailed upon Peter Shaw to give us a little more leeway and we split the Stour in two stopping the first film at Blandford. We are editing this at the moment and the launch date will co-inside with the June edition of the magazine. The Stour is a very lovely river but it s waters also powered many mills and some of these have been beautifully restored while others have fallen into disrepair. We have tried to cover as many aspects and activities of the Stour as possible and hired a hairyplane for a very hairy flight up and down the river which produced some stunning shots of Hambledon Hill, Hodd Hill, Stour Head etc. Part One of ‘Along The River Stour is £16.45 inc post and packing. I will keep you informed about the progress of Part 2.
Forty Years of The Yetties
I have been asked to talk about the group at three Dorset Libraries in May. The early days, trips to foreign parts etc. ‘Think of a snappy title' they said. And it came to me that it is dam near 40 years since we were originally called The Yetties. If you would like to come along and listen to a slightly expurgated version of my reminiscences you need to be at Dorchester Library on Thursday, 6th of May at 7p.m., Bndport Library on Thursday 13th May at 7p.m. or Weymouth Library on Monday 17th May at 2.30 pm,. Tickets are £3.
Bonny