Marlborough’s Town Mayor, Councillor Margaret Rose, has issued an invitation to families to bring a picnic lunch and something to sit on to Priory Gardens on Sunday, July 5 for Alice’s Enchanted Family Picnic – for families with toddlers and upwards.
It was Councillor Rose’s idea to hold a community event for children of all ages – whether they are Alice fans or are about to become Alice fans. It is a free event with lots and lots to do and see.
Anna Friend – who runs Marlborough Young Actors – is the picnic’s creative director and she has been able to make use of many of the weird and wonderful Lewis Carroll-esque objects people have designed to celebrate this year’s 150th anniversary of the publication of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. So be careful not to fall into a tea cup.
Anna has found lots of people to give the event a really special enchanted atmosphere. Cheryl Heuston will be bringing dancers from her Marlborough Academy of Dance and Drama. Her very young members will be dancing as white rabbits. And the older ones will be showing their ‘street dance’ skills.
From the Marlborough Players, Sasha McClintock will be stalking Priory Gardens as the smiley-and-very-slightly-scary Red Queen. It will be interesting to see whether she or the Mayor will be ruling this wierd and wonderful roost!
Anna’s Marlborough Young Actors will be in costume – she expects two Alices, two Mad Hatters, one March Hare and if Tweedledum makes it, Tweedledee will not be far away. They will be mixing with the picnickers and presenting street theatre interludes.
When children arrive at Priory Gardens they can collect a card and get it stamped by each of the Wonderland characters. When their card is full they will have to brave an audience with the Red Queen to get their prize.
There will also be a fancy dress competition for children – so we can expect lots more Alices and lots of Spidermen.
There will be craft stalls, drinks to buy, a van with home-made ice cream, face painting, craft workshops and lots of fun.
The organisers are very grateful to Tesco for their generous sponsorship – and will be very grateful too when the Met Office signals a fine Sunday.
The High Street should be humming – July 5 happens to be a Sunday for the Marlborough Communties Market so people can shop till they drop and then drop into the Picnic which runs from 11.00am to 2.00pm.
*Apologies to Lewis Carroll : “Will you, won’t you, will you, won’t you, will you join the dance? Will you, won’t you, will you, won’t you, won’t you join the dance?” – is the chorus of the song the Mock Turtle sings in Chapter 10 of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.
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