New Harvest Home Festival in Skerray
A new celebratory event is being launched at Skerray this weekend – the Harvest Home Festival will begin on Friday night and continue on Saturday and will comprise a series of attractions centred round the harbour and the village hall.
Friday night sees the opening of the Festival with a make your own environmentally friendly boat which will be floated out of the harbour, lit by a small tea light. Prizes for the best looking and the one that stays afloat the longest will be awarded for both both adults and child.
This will be followed by a lantern parade, led by a local piper.
There is then story telling for the young and young at heart, with Essie Stewart.
The night concludes with an open air traditional ceilidh, complete with beer tent and BBQ, supplied by the Ben Loyal Hotel.
So if you feel like taking your instruments along, please feel free to do so – "the more the merrier" say the organisers.
Saturday hosts a variety of different attractions. There will be demonstrations of traditional crafts, the Mackay Country Bough tent, with Arthur Dutch showing his tinsmithing.
Also, sales stalls offering goods and produce from local businesses, such as Torrisdale Tunnel fruit and veg, and the soap factory, face painting, various games, bottle stall and a raffle with prizes to be announced on the day.
The Ben Loyal beer and BBQ tent will be open at the harbour again, whilst in the hall, a home produce competition will take place and teas sandwiches and cakes will be available all day.
Saturday night sees the first ever Skerray Harvest Home Festival end in style. With the village hall hosting, fresh from Belladrum, Sketch – "bringing traditional Scottish music into the 21st century."
The idea of the festival is to bring together education and entertainment by showing how things used to be done in years gone by and that they are still very much alive today, and to offer something new and exciting in Skerray. Although this is a not for profit venture, any money that is raised on the day will go back into the community. It is hoped to make this an annual event.
If you are interested in demonstrating your crafts or holding a stall at the event please contact the secretary Gillian McPherson on 01641 521428 or email: skerrayharves.home@rocketmail.com.
