Have been in Tenbury Wells, Britain's
“Mistletoe Capital” today to attend meetings about this year's
Mistletoe Festival and about this year's harvesting.
A quick reprise for those who've not
heard of all this: Tenbury Wells, a market town in north-west
Worcestershire, has held wholesale mistletoe auctions, harvested
across Worcestershire and Herefordshire, for over 100 years. These
are the only specialist auctions for mistletoe in the UK – and the
only commercial sales where you can be sure of genuine English mistletoe.
The Mistletoe Festival began about 5 or
6 years ago, when continuity of the auctions was in doubt. The idea
was, and is, to broaden the mistletoe events in the town, to ensure
its mistletoe season (late November through to mid December)
continues. The mistletoe auctions have survived, albeit now at a rural
location, and the Festival has a life of its own – with various
mistletoe-related events.
The Festival events include crowning a mistletoe
queen, hosting a charity mistletoe auction, visits by druids from the Mistletoe Foundation etc. This year's events
are almost, but not quite finalised – which is why we were meeting
today.
As usual, quite a lot of final details
to be ironed out – but the main mistletoe-themed events (there are
other events too) are:
- 24th
November Commercial Mistletoe Auction I - 28th
November Mistletoe Management Workshop - 1st
December Commercial Mistletoe Auction II (including Druid Blessing)
- 5th
December Mistletoe Day Events in town – including Druid
Procession, Mistletoe Queen Crowning, Charity Mistletoe Auction,
Santa Parade, Mistletoe Eisteddfodd
- 8th
December Commercial Mistletoe Auction III
- 19th
December Mistletoe Event at The Floor, St Michaels
More details at these websites – www.tenburyevents.com, www.mistletoe.org.uk/home/mtoefun4.htm and www.tenbury-mistletoe-festival.co.uk. You may find they each tell a slightly different story at the moment – things should all be tightened up very soon.
Mistletoe Promotion of the Day – Mistletoe Eisteddfod 5th December
Well, with today being all about Mistletoe Events, today's promo is simply advertising the Mistletoe Eisteddfodd being run in Tenbury on the evening of 5th December.
Titled simply 'A Different Twig', the event is being run by Cranesfield Bardic Arts.
All (including performers) are welcome. Entry by donation. Venue the Royal Oak, at 8.00pm. More details here or on 01584 891130.