Thame Advent Fair – Weekend Of Fun – Reminder

THAME First, (formerly the Chamber of Commerce) and the town council, have joined forces to organise a weekend of Christmas fun for all the family, beginning on Friday afternoon, December 1, at 5pm.

During the afternoon, 90 elderly residents from Thame and Moreton, will be treated to a Christmas tea party in the council Chamber, being organised by Di Bone of Thame Trading (despite still hobbling around with a broken leg) and Cllr Beatrice Dobie.
The funding for the party will partly be provided by Thame businesses and partly by the town council. All the cakes will be homemade by Thame Trading customers again this year, and there will be musical entertainment throughout the afternoon. Pupils from Lord Williams’s school will wait at table and generally help look after the guests. The event has proved to be so popular that there is a waiting list.
This year coincides with the Queen’s 80th birthday celebrations and 79 of the the guests are themselves 80 years-old.

Later in the afternoon, the lower High Street car park area will be transformed with stalls, a Farmers? Market, a French Market from Thame’s twin town of Montesson, children’s Fair Rides and a Hog Roast. The Mayor, Cllr Nigel Champken-Woods, will open the proceedings at around 6pm and BBC Radio 2 DJ, Ken Bruce will, who lives in Towersey, will officially turn on the lights at around 7.10pm.

On the stage area in front of the town hall, there will be carols from Thame primary schools, accompanied by the Thame Concert Band, members of the cast of Thame Players’ Jack and The Beanstalk, Panto guests from the Aylesbury Civic Centre, Christmas Card competition winner presentation, live music from Thame band, ‘Tamarind Sun’, a surprise visiter at around 7.15pm, Community singing accompanied by the Thame Concert Band and finally the Christmas Blessing.

Among the local businesses who have made this year’s event possible are Pentangle Internet, who sponsored the Christmas tree, DAF Trucks, Woolworths, Booker Tate, J G Land Estates and Mi Casa.

Throughout Saturday, December 2, the Thame shopping experience will be enhanced by performances by the Crendon Morris Men and a visit from Santa in his Sleigh. Free Advent activities, including stories, crafts and games, for children aged 5-10 years-old, will be available in St Mary’s Church, between 10am and 12 noon, to give busy parents the chance to do some Christmas shopping. To book for these events, which will also be run on December 16, contact Janet on 01844 213491, or office @stmarys.psa-online.com

For the very time, Thame First has organised continual street entertainment to compliment Christmas shopping in Thame on Sunday, December 3, when many of the smaller, independant shops will open on a Sunday for the first time, joining the multi-nationals like Woolworths and Cargo who open every Sunday as a matter of course.
Entertainment in all the main shopping areas will include Medieval-style musician and entertainer, ‘Wynndebagge’, Jester/juggler ‘Jesterical’, Christmas music from the Thame Concert Band, Thame Chamber Choir and Appellation dancing from the Haddenham Hoofers.

Because shopping can really give one an appetite, as well as a hog roast, there will be hot roasted chestnuts, mince pies, Mulled wine (provided by Thame Lions Club) and fruit juices, all generously donated by Waitrose.
Local Radio station Mix 96 will be behind the Market House in the Upper High Street, with their giant, inflatable slide, providing 25% of the day’s takings to a local charity.

One of the main Thame First event organisers, Adrian Mills who runs the gift shop, Mi Casa, explained the main thrust of the organisation’s contribution towards the event: “This event is part of our on-going campaign to highlight the good things about shopping in Thame, to encourage local people and those further afield, to make the town their main shopping destination. This is particularly important at Christmas when people can take advantage of our high percentage of independently owned shops where you can buy more unusual things that are not available in supermarkets and big shopping centres.
“This is our effort to help stimulate local spending and at the same time create some fun to enhance Christmas shopping.”

So, “Try Thame First” for your Christmas shopping – you may be surprised at the variety of gift-buying opportunities in our lovely Market town, and help keep our town centre economically vibrant and healthy.

Look out for Christmas shopping ideas on www.thame.net in the next couple of weeks.