Steve Haywood <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: As one of the organisers of this
year's Cavalcade, I feel I have to respond
to Barry's criticism; and I'm afraid in doing so I am going to be critical
of Barry. Why? Because although he's been to at least two, he doesn't seem
to have got the hang of it yet. You see Barry, it's not like the National.
Or going to the pictures. You don't just pay your money and get entertained.
Cavalcade is a unique event where the participants are the audience. It's
just a little neighbourhood festival that's got big with thousands of people
from London and elsewhere visiting; but essentially, at heart, it's a boat
festival which (thank God) hasn't yet been taken over by commercial
interests.
OK, there were only 6 boats in the Saturday procession. So was yours one of
them? Or were you in the illuminated procession Sunday evening instead? Did
you enter the boat handling competition? Or at the least put a bit of
bunting on your boat? Did you in fact do anything to help the event except
turn up at it and expect the rest of us to entertain you?
I'm sorry to be so harsh, Barry; but after dozens of us have spent the best
part of a year to put on this event in a climate that sometimes seems to be
like trudging through treacle, it makes me cross that someone like you can
be so... well, selfish about the whole thing. If you want a better
Cavalcade, then roll up your sleeves and help make it one; I'm sure someone,
somewhere, can find a job for you. But just don't stand on the sidelines
sniping. That isn't the way of Cavalcade. And incidentally, because I know
you haven't been boating very long, it isn't the way of the cut either.
Steve
And here's me expecting that Mike Stevens, who works very hard on the publicity
side of things @ LV would be the one to have a gripe!
I'm sorry that you feel affronted Steve, & I realise that there are always
lots of people behind the scenes that work hard to make it a success.
I've actually been to about ½ dozen Cavalcades & it's
definitely not as "lively" as some of the earlier ones I've attended. Why that
should be is a mystery--that's just the impression I got. As I said, I had the
chairman of HNA with me--he was a Cavalcade virgin but not of other festivals,
Batchworth & the inaugural Brentford festival last year [for which we have both
worked] & he felt the Saturday was a bit flat without me making any comment to
him. As for our soon to retire project manager who's been involved with boating
for over 35 years, I suppose that *his* criticism doesn't count either ?
As for me who's only been boating since 1986, I'd love to
know:- 1:- Who supplies your duff information?
2:- How long does my experience have to be in boating before it's
considered to be long enough?
Just to re-iterate---I appreciate greatly the time & effort put in
by yourselves & others & hope that future Cavalcades will be a return to the
great ones of the past.
Just a thought, now the towpath is open between the pool & the basin, do you
think that there's a tendency to s t r e t c h the attractions somewhat? [Any
ideas for instance why the previously used open ground just past Rembrandt
Gardens was not used for stalls & suchlike?]
Batchworth suffered from this by placing more attractions in the fields
rather than canalside, which, after all is where the action should take place,
but there is a growing movement back to the waterside & Batchworth lock itself.
The Brentford Festival had the advantage of all the attractions
being concentrated in one place because the creek to the Thames was an
effective barrier to expansion downstream.
Despite the atrocious weather we experienced, we were kept busy all day
providing boat trips for members of the public!
Barry
Nb hopeful
---------------------------------
What kind of emailer are you? Find out today - get a free analysis of your
email personality. Take the quiz at the Yahoo! Mail Championship.
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
