Summer Celebration 2010

VE Day commemoration

Special

A feast of forties fun filled Letchworth town centre with our VE celebration on July 3 and 4, with a weekend of music, fun and living history organised by Letchworth Arts Centre, funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund, to commemorate the part Letchworth and its residents played in the allies’ victory in World War Two.

Massive thanks are owed to our wonderful teams of volunteers who worked so hard to make the two days such a success. Thanks are owed, too, to the stallholders, marquee exhibitors, classic vehicle owners, the Heritage Museum, and everyone else whose efforts gave Letchworth such a great weekend. Special thanks are owed to the Garden City Heritage Foundation for everything they did both during the planning stage and on the two days itself.

There are some pictures below; for more and for videos from the event, click here.

The sounds, smells and look of the 1940s took over Broadway Garden

s in the heart of the town centre with music, dance and drama from the period alongside e fashions, exhibitions, refreshments and goods for sale – all with a wartime flavour -- and additional activities on our stage in Leys Square. In addition, a series of playlets with wartime themes was put on at points across the town centre and at St Francis' College..

Historic vehicles were on display; the De Havilland Heritage Museum brought some of its prized exhibits, including a scale model Mosquito fighter bomber; and there was a visit from the Hatfield Home Guard living history group and the Second Battalion Royal Ulster Rifles re-enactment group. Scouts, Guides and Brownies modelled the uniforms of the 1940s; a NAAFI provided tea and comfort food (thanks to the terrific catering staff from Spirella and P

linston Hall) while an American canteen offered doughnuts and hot dogs; and re-enactment groups illustrated what the Home Guard and other uniformed groups

did to help the home front. From the Garden Maria_at_Celebration.

City Heritage Museum came displays of photographs and objects relating to Letchworth's war effort.

The event tied in with the Garden

City Heritage Museum’s year-long exhibition on Letchworth in wartime. For more details, click here. For details of other Letchworth Festival events click here or call 01462 679977.

On Saturday July 3

Blitz and Pieces brought their blend of memories, performing favourite home front songs, with a home front display. The Devon-based group (pictured right) were inspired by, among other things, the strong sense of community spirit and patriotic sentiment displayed during the war era. You can see more about them here.

The Rockabellas: Today's answer to the Andrews Sisters. With killer heels, killer curves and killer harmonies they have been called to the musical front line to lift the spirits of ladies and gentlemen all over the world. Performing toe-tapping classics from the wartime songbirds to modern day chart toppers with a 1940s twist. All sung with the glamour and grace of the 1940s. You can see their website here.

Red Hot: A unique cabaret duo that includes the brilliant ukulele-banjo virtuoso Anthony Mason, who plays faster than George Formby and sings in idiosyncratic style, and the very talented

vocalist and ukulele player Lynda Styan.

Cambs and Beds Lindy Experience: Bringing history to life in the energetic form of Lindy Hop dance, the forerunner of Jive. This local troupe will perform througho

ut the day and also give demonstrations and workshops on the Big Apple dance and the Lambeth Walk. You can see more about them here.

Caxton Swing Band: A ‘little big’ band playing swinging jazz from the 1940s in the style of Duke Ellington, Benny Goodman and Count Basie. There is more about them here.

The Knights Templar Band: More jazz and swing music from this great band from Baldock's Knights Templar School.

Drama Trail: A series of sketches at different sites around town about events that happened at that site during the war. Schools involved were mainly Pixmore School and St Francis. Pixmore School was one of the two schools open during the war -- the other was Westbury -- to which evacuees to the town were sent. Pixmore pupils were involved in the drama and have been making props for it as well, such as a squadron of model Spitfires which they will carry from site to site.

Year 6 and 10 students from St Francis' College were also involved.

The adult actors in the Drama Trail came from the Winding Road Theatre Company, a group of local actors led by Rosemary Bianchi who was a founder member of Letchworth Arts Centre.

And there's more: The catwalk hit Letchworth, showcasing the fashions of the 1940s, Army Cadets, Scouts, Guides and Brownies showed off authentic war period uniform while children from local dance schools boogied on down to the popular tap dances of the period.

On Sunday July 4

American-themed music, food and entertainment took over, with USO Shows providing the full American experience based on the performances of the USO Camp shows to the Allied troops in 1941. USO shows hosted a variety of events throughout the day:

* Bar and mobile canteen (on both days)
* Kitten Von Mew Burlesque (family friendly)
* Bud Flanagan (singer/ comedian)
* USO Dance team
* The Clover Sisters/swingtime sweethearts David_at_Celebration. * Swing Band

You can see more about USO shows here.

Book: I Remember the War

As part of the run-up, Letchworth primary schools worked with the well-known illustrator and children's book author James Mayhew to produce a book of illustrated memories of the war contributed by local residents. The children’s work is on display at the Arts Centre through June. The book was launched with parties at the Arts Centre and a mass book-signing at David's Bookshop. Pictured below is James Mayhew with youthful artists at the book launch.

The book has been highly praised by the Imperial War Museum, who called it a "lovely publication", and said it was "both entertaining and moving". It conveyed "a real sense of wartime Britain through the eyes of children and young people, whilst also giving a local community perspective".

Street Party

We had glorious sunshine for the VE-Day style street party for Year 6 children from Norton St Nicholas, Lordship Farm, St Francis' and St Thomas More schools on May 28.

Broadway Gardens were full of celebratory bunting as the 140-plus children enjoyed songs and games from the period and a slap-up tea -- including spam sandwiches, fishpaste sandwiches and jam sandwiches as well as jelly and blancmange and delicious cakes -- prepared by pupils at St Francis' College. St Francis' College worked with the Arts Centre to put the event on, and its staff and pupils are owed a great round of thanks for all their wonderful efforts -- not least the superb choir (pictured below) and solo singers who performed wartime hits. Thanks also go to Letchworth Garden City Heritage Foundation's Alan Howard for his rendition of One Man Went to Mow.

The event was funded by the Letchworth Extended Schools Network and the Heritage Lottery Fund.