Rickmansworth week gets underway
May 9th 2008
Rickmansworth Week, the town’s annual celebration of all things related to canals and the  environment commences on Saturday 10th May and culminates in the Rickmansworth Festival on 17th and 18th May. With the weekend's weather predicted to be sunny, why not pop along to support the events on offer.
Events: -
Saturday 10th
9.30am Art exhibition in St Mary's Church
10.00-12.30 Breakfast barbecue and mini-market in the Baptist Church
10.00-4.00 Three Rivers Museum open
11.00 Story Time for 8 year olds in the Library
11.00-4.00 Maple Lodge Nature Reserve open day to celebrate 25th anniversary. Admission free
12.00-4.00 Barbecue in grounds of Conservative club, Bury Lane
The Parade
2.00 Carnival Parade sets off from the area between St Joan of Arc and the railway bridge, travelling via the High Street, Station Road, Northway, Church Street and Bury Lane, finishing in the Bury grounds.
2.30 Crowning of Miss Rickmansworth 2008 in the Bury grounds
2.00-5.00 Carnival fete in the Bury grounds
2.00-4.00 St Mary's Church Tower open - grand views of Rickmansworth and surrounding landscape
Sunday 11th
9.30am Art exhibition in St Mary's Church
10.00 Ricky Week service in St Mary's Church
10.00-5.00 Classic cars in the Aquadrome
11.00-4.00 Dinghy racing on Troy Lake, beyond West Hyde
11.00-4.00 Maple Lodge Nature Reserve open day to celebrate 25th anniversary. Admission free
12.00-3.00 Summer Fair at St Joan of Arc
12.00-4.00 Barbecue in grounds of Conservative club, Bury Lane
1.00-3.00 Morris dancing in Ruislip Woods
2.00 Wildlife Wander from the Batchworth Lock centre, along the Ebury Way and around the Withey Beds
2.00-4.00pm Three Rivers Museum open
The Rickmansworth Festival
This year it’s on Saturday 17th and Sunday 18th May with two main live music stages featuring rock, latin jazz and folk to name a few. This year also has an extra treat too, with a fly past on Sunday afternoon by the Douglas Dakota parachute aircraft from the RAF Battle of Britain display team.
But thats not all there is for 20,000 visitors. Canal boats will be moored up to four deep along the towpath along with talks, exhibitions and the return of a popular animal farm for younger visitors. Back again are boat trips and the battle of the boaters Tug Of War and – new for 2008 – there will be a medieval cooking and living history display.
Visitors can also take time to browse the wares of the traders from boats with crafts different to what might be found on the high street. Boat owners will be out en masse to polish the brass, tidy the ropes and run the engines. Visitors will be warmly welcomed to take a look around some of the boats and to talk boats all day long if they wish.
The festival has now reached its fifteenth year and is much bigger compared to when it began, a fantastic feat for all the volunteers involved from organisers Rickmansworth Waterways Trust.
It’s also free to enter, but the trust does ask for donations of one pound each from visitors. This money is essential to help keep the festival going and support its award winning canal education programme “Learning at the Lock”, run between Easter and September.
See you there!
FESTIVAL SCHEDULE HERE
Music: Rock bands from West Herts College, rock covers band Wired, Steph West Celtic Harpist, Graeme Knights folk artist, Vela Latina Latin jazz
Food: beer, burgers and much much more!
Opening times: 10.30am to 10.30pm Saturday, 10.30am to 5pm Sunday (music stages start from 11am). It’s free to enter, but there will be buckets standing by for donations!
Contact details: Batchworth Lock Centre, 01923 778382 or www.rickmansworth-festival.co.uk 
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