How long are your runner beans? How tasty is your chutney? It’s time to start planning your entries for The Cranborne Show, which will take place in the Village Hall on Saturday 19th September. Local experts have been persuaded to be judges, and we’ve already heard of people bottling, preserving and planting in anticipation.

We’ve now chosen the categories which are within the following areas:

Produce: vegetables, fruit, flowers

Baking: cakes, bread, savoury nibbles

Preserves: jam, marmalade, honey, chutney

Alcohol: beer, cider, wine, flavoured spirits

Art: painting, photography

Crafts: knitting, crochet, embroidery/cross stitch, miscellaneous

Children: miniature garden, vegetable animal, photography, painting.

Entries for adults are 50p each with a cap at £5; children’s entries are free.

Click on the document below for the full list of categories:

Any questions, contact Annie on pr@cranbornevillagehall.org.uk

Photo courtesy of Akbar Nemati on Unsplash

Our next Artsreach performance is on Friday 15th May, when Diyet & The Love Soldiers come to Cranborne.

Diyet was born in a tent and spent her childhood on the ancestral lands of the Kluane First Nation people in Canada’s Yukon Territory. Her music combines country, folk, roots and traditional with catchy melodies and stories deeply rooted in her indigenous world view and northern life. Playing bass guitar, she sings in both English and her traditional language, Southern Tutchone. She is backed by The Love Soldiers: her husband and collaborator Robert van Lieshout (acoustic guitar, drums & percussion) and Bob Hamilton (electric guitar, pedal steel & mandolin).

Tickets are £14; £6 for under 18s and £36 for a family. The performance starts at 7.30pm. Book via artsreach.co.uk, by emailing events@cranbornevillagehall.org.uk or by calling Alison on 01725 517028.

To make an evening of it, we’re offering a delicious Canadian-themed pre-performance two-course supper at £15, seated at our usual convivial communal tables: doors for this open at 6pm and the meal will be served at 6.15pm. There will also be interval light bites. For menu details, prices and how to pre-order, visit https://cecil-memorial-hall-2024-cranborne-village-hall.sumupstore.com. All food must be pre-ordered.

We’ve got an evening of fabulous Parisian-flavoured music at Cranborne Village Hall next week. Swing from Paris is an all-string jazz quartet inspired by the music of the 30s, 40s and 50s, So if you like a bit of Artie Shaw, Django Reinhart or Stéphane Grappelli, this is right up your ‘rue’.

It’s all happening on Friday 20th March at Cranborne Village Hall. The performance starts at 7.30pm. Tickets, which are £13, £6 under 18s, £36 for a family, are available from www.artsreach.co.uk or by calling Alison Lawson on 01725 517028. 

We’re offering a choice of delicious French-themed food for those who would like to eat with us. There’s a two-course pre-performance meal at £14 (served from 6.30pm) and French mixed apero plates to nibble during the performance at £5 for a plate, or £7.50 to include cake and coffee. Food can be ordered (pre-booking essential) on https://cecil-memorial-hall-2024-cranborne-village-hall.sumupstore.com/ or by emailing events@cranbornevillagehall.org.uk

It’s going to be ‘formidable’….

If you want to come to our Winter Ceilidh on Saturday 28th February then you need to book your tickets within the next week: ie by Monday 23rd February. We need to know numbers so we can prepare the right amount of delicious beef or bean stew.

The Ceilidh is going to be great. We’ll be dancing to the excellent Black Sheep band and Big Al will be calling the steps. We’ll all be jigging together so you don’t have to come with a partner. You just need to remember to wear comfortable shoes. Doors open at 6.30pm and dancing starts at 7pm.

Tickets are £15 including supper (£10 under 18s). Book your tickets by calling Anna on 07748 522218, emailing events@cranbornevillagehall.org.uk or visiting https://cecil-memorial-hall-2024-cranborne-village-hall.sumupstore.com

Apparently in the latest Bridget Jones film – which we’re showing this Friday – she is living a more moderate life and is consuming less chardonnay. But she’s still having the occasional one, and you can do the same as we’ll have some available!

Come along for our inaugural film night when we’ll also be serving freshly-popped popcorn and ice cream. Doors open at 7pm and the film will start at 7.30pm. Tickets are £5 and can be bought on the night.

And you could make an evening of it: Friday is fish & chips night at the Sheaf of Arrows, so you could eat there beforehand. Booking essential though.