Saturday 15 July saw the welcome return of a big event in the village calendar – the Crow Fair – which took place on the village playing field from 1.30pm – 5.00pm. The weather was truly wonderful, with temperatures in the upper twenties and barely a cloud in the sky. St Stephen’s Church had a strong presence and, for a small group of PCC members, the day started very early with the (rather tricky) erection of two large frame tents kindly loaned by 146 Squadron Air Training Corps, Northwich. Mark, Steve, Ray and Lesley wrestled heroically with the colour coded sections until finally, over two hours later, they could stand back and admire their handiwork.

The larger tent was where the PA system was housed, and a comprehensive set of display boards, mainly prepared by Ray, describing the Mission support of our church in Burkina Faso (Central Africa) and Romania, plus the varied work of our Junior Church; it also provided welcome shelter from the sun! The smaller tent, next door, had a constant stream of visitors as Lesley offered free face-painting for the children. She was a victim of her own success – and didn’t manage to get more than a few minutes’ break during the whole afternoon! A striking display of the work of the Banner Group showed the the “Sunburst” banner, the latest of their creations; a pictorial display and notes on the church’s website coverage accompanied the banner.

Also on offer was a stall selling toys and other models, an incredibly well stocked tombola, and a village treasure map. Our main contribution to the Crow Fair was an entertainer we hired for the afternoon, Jon Bonner – he describes himself (www.sovereigneffect.org.uk) as “Actor, Musician, Magician”, and he certainly lived up to this description. He did four “turns” of 10-20 minutes duration using his skills as an entertainer to share Christian truth about life in a clear but non-threatening way. He was able to draw in and engage with the public, especially the youngsters, with his varied repertoire – which included card tricks, escapology, and a whole range of tricks for young children. He particularly impressed both young and old with his knife juggling – requiring considerable concentration on his part, but nevertheless presented with great humour.

Our Parish Priest, Revd Robin Forrester, was only able to attend for a short time later in the afternoon, as he had to officiate at a wedding, as well as at his own daughter’s church blessing at St Stephen’s – and all this on the day of his and Jenny’s wedding anniversary! After offering words of encouragement to the “troops”, he headed back to the Vicarage to continue with his own family’s celebrations – and yet another spell of Jon Bonner’s entertainment.

My overall impression is that there would be some very tired people at the end of this long day, but everyone representing St Stephen’s Church at the Crow Fair could justifiably be proud of their efforts.   Bill Allen (15/07/06)