Museum hosts TAL Festival launch

SUPPORTERS and sponsors of Thame’s Arts and Literature Festival and guests joined the organisers for a reception and exhibition at Thame Museum on Friday (07/10) to officially launch TAL 2016.

L-R Harry Vernau, Steve Bannister, Luise Pattinson, Brian Pattinson and Yvonne Maxwell

Tasty canapes were provided by caterer, Caroline Jones,  the wine flowed, supplied by The Red Bottle Company, in Dormer Road, Thame,  and the work of Long Crendon Cartoonist, Robert Duncan, which is currently being exhibited at the museum, was much admired, and a great air of excitement and anticipation was in the air for the start of this year’s festival of music, film, arts and literary lusciousness!

C0-festival organiser, Steve Bannister welcomed everyone with a slide tour of the festival’s origins, philosophy – Participate Enjoy Inspire – and history since the first TAL in 2010.

This year there are 41 events taking place over the weekend of October 12 – 14, ranging from the history of cake to the Somme, many of which are already sold out. On Friday, October 14, at 7.30pm at the Spread Eagle Hotel, Michael (Lord) and Anne Heseltine will deliver the Founder’s Lecture, telling the story of one garden and one family, over a 40-year time period. In their own words, they will describe the ups and downs of how they set about transforming and expanding a wild, overgrown and often dilapidated woodland into the magnificent garden they have today.

Authors taking part include former Children’s Laureate, Anne Fine OBE, Jason Lewis, the first person to circumnavigate the Earth by human power—without using motors or sails. He walked, cycled, and inline skated five continents, and kayaked, swam, rowed, and pedalled a boat across the rivers, seas, and oceans.

If Sci fi is your thing, Marcus Berkmann will talk about the 50 years of ‘Star Trek’ answering all the important questions. Why did Kirk’s shirt always get torn when he had a fist fight? What’s the most number of times Uhura said ‘Hailing frequencies open, sir’ in a single episode? (Seven.) And what’s the worst imaginable insult in Klingon? (Your mother has a smooth forehead.)

Visit the website for the full programme and to order tickets (Be quick – they’re selling fast!) : LINK HERE