Our next event was somewhat closer to home – the annual Wallingford Bunkfest on Saturday Aug 31st. Another good day, with a variety of dance spots with a number of local teams, and at the end of it another excellent Chunkest provided by Sue at her home in Crowmarsh Gifford. This year’s Festival was dedicated to the memory of Bob Wyatt, co-founder of the Festival in 2002 and Sue’s partner, and in a nice touch the main stage was renamed the Bob Wyatt stage.. The following day, 1st September, a smaller number of the team were back at Bunkfest to take part in the 1 hour tribute show to him, organised by Jody Wyatt, Bob’s nephew and musician, and featuring a number of Bob’s favourite bands, musicians, singers plus ourselves. We just did one dance, Princess Royal, before all the participants came back on stage for one final song, written by Bob – a fitting tribute.
That just left our usual end of year programme, starting with the Bunfight on 23rd November, with the theme of ‘Bunfight on Broadway’. Another great evening, at the California Ratepayers Hall, with the brilliant Diatonics, and caller ‘Mr. Marvellous’ Nick Walden. Once again it was a great evening, with some brilliant imaginative costumes, not least Fools Gambit’s full on barricade from Les Mis. And again The Diatonics had prepared some dance tunes appropriate to the occasion. Young Robert-son-of-John made his BB debut in Sucking the Monkey, and later BB went full Broadway with their version of a Chorus Line, which many of the team had learned in advance….. Next day was the Wokingham Winter Carnival – a pleasantly mild day, and the usual good dancing around Wokingham including the opportunity to perform in Peach Place, part of the refurbishment of the town centre. The year then concluded with nearly all the team present for our traditional St. Thomas’s Day in Wokingham, with more dancing in the Market Place and Peach Place again, coupled with refreshment and carol stops at The Crispin, The Roebuck, and the Queens Head. As usual, a fine end to the year.
