Flora Day Diary

10/05/2009 Flora Day 2009 - The Big Day And so we come to the most important day of the year for Helston and Helstonians throughout the world, the day that we have all been waiting for the last 364 days. As the alarm clock went off at 5am, the initial thoughts of excitement were dampened slightly by the noise of heavy rain pouring down outside. However, just over an hour later, as the band met in the Red Lion, the rain had stopped, the clouds were disappearing and the sun began to shine on Helston – our prayers to the Flora God once again appeared to be answered. The band had a swift half – all before 6.30am – to toast the start of Flora Day 2009. Whilst on a normal day, even a cup of coffee at this hour can be a struggle, Flora Day is far from a normal day. As the minute hand approached 7 o’clock, we made our way to the Guildhall, where large crowds had already gathered. Band members looked immaculate with instruments gleaming, shoes shining, lily-of-the-valley resplendent and smiles all round in anticipation of the day ahead. After an inspiring team-talk from our MD John, reminding us this was our first Flora Day as a champion-section band, we formed into our ranks proud to be a vital part of this day. The first 7 o’clock dance ever for Lauren, Adam and Jack – and the 63rd Flora Day appearance for Russell, a remarkable achievement. As the crowd hushed and the seconds ticked to 7 o’clock, the bell tolled and Simon’s first strike of the drum got the day underway. This was a historic moment as the brand new bass drum was introduced to the Flora Day tradition. A huge number of people lined the streets for the morning dance and there was a lovely atmosphere as the spring sunshine shone down on town, the shops and houses decorated beautifully, repeating this unique tradition which has lasted for centuries. As the dance wound through the town in and out of shops and houses, Adrian nearly let the whole dance into the wrong house. Imagine the faces of the poor couple lying in bed had a brass band and 200 dancers walked through their bedroom. Amongst the dancers, there wasn’t a flip-flop nor a mobile phone in sight although there were some interesting choices of footwear, and a couple of instances of every girl’s worst nightmare – turning up with somebody else wearing the same dress. One of the joys of band uniform – you’re supposed to look the same. Although Adam managed to select the one band jacket without gold braids, therefore not looking the same! The dance made its way up Coinagehall Street to its conclusion, and it was one dance down, three to go. In true Flora Day tradition, band members then sprinted down to the Blue Anchor for the customary point of Spingo. As was pointed out, don’t drink water, fish poo in it. In a change of venue for 2009, we made our way to the Seven Stars for a delicious fried breakfast, where it was a case of last come, first served! With just a few minutes to spare, we then made our way to the Godolphin Club to meet friends of Helston Town Band, Juniors, Beginners and other guests who had been invited to play for the Children’s and Midday Dances. The Band split into two groups, known as Band A and Band B, and awaited the arrival of the 1300+ schoolchildren from the four schools in Helston ready for the start of the Children’s Dance. This is a true spectacle to see so many children, from tiny infants up to A-level students, all dressed in white and proud to be involved in such an ancient tradition – how many towns in the country could contemplate their schoolchildren volunteering to take part in something like this? Midway through the dance, we made our customary refreshment stop at Lismore Gardens, owned by Band President Michael Jay who generously opens his beautiful gardens to the public every year. Here the schoolchildren were met by their proud parents with cameras, before we commenced the second half of the dance. After the seemingly never ending stream of children passed through the band at the end of the dance (where do they all hide the rest of the year?!), we headed down to the Red Lion for a very very quick pint before the start of the principal dance of the day, the Midday Dance. With the new start to the Midday carried over from last year (no longer going through The Beehive and ETS) the bands once again divided into two outside the Guildhall ready for the clock to strike to set us off on our way again. The new start to the dance worked very well, with far more room for the band to form up and a greater opportunity for the spectators to see the dancers on their exit from the Guildhall. It has to be said that the members of the Beginners Band did their families, themselves, and the whole of Helston Town Band very proud. With the youngest aged just 7 years, they marched and played impeccably and coped with the thousands of chants of “Aaah look” very well. The future of Helston Town Band looks to be in good hands. The second visit of the day to Lismore Gardens provided the huge awaiting crowd the chance to see one of the true ‘sights’ of the day, the dancers ‘spiral’ on the lower lawn. Our president Mr Jay kindly provided all the band with liquid refreshments and sandwiches in a private area of his garden, a gesture that is always truly appreciated. Meanwhile, Cynthia had to do her Florence Nightingale act and attend to one of the dancers who was not looking well at all, possibly suffering the effects of dancing in the heat. You should have had your Spingo this morning, mate. After the conclusion of the Midday Dance and to deafening cheers we finished up with the National Anthem. As we say ever year, the Queen once again couldn’t make it - maybe next time Liz?! You might not be Helston-born, but we could have a quiet word with the Stewards!! Twelve miles down, four to go, we had a couple of hours off in the afternoon to sit in the sunshine, freshen up, (reapply the Sudocrem for some), and recharge the batteries. We congregated again outside the Guildhall just before 5 o’clock ready for the start of the Evening Dance. This was a historic moment as the traditional gold and red Flora Day bass drum, played for the last 60 years, was to be played for the final time ever on Flora Day. There were still huge crowds watching the final dance of the day, including those who had been working the rest of the day. The 5 o’clock dance is always a special dance and in a sense, feels like the band’s lap of honour. Hey, we always try to be modest – and damn proud of it!! Another special moment in Lismore Gardens as Simon got down on one knee and proposed to Catriona, who eventually said yes after recovering from the shock. Mr Jay generously provided a bottle of champagne for the couple, even more generously drunk by the rest of the band! And so we finally made our way back up Coinagehall Street playing the last few verses of the Flora Dance. With Flora Day being the band’s main fundraising activity of the year, the band would like to thanks the group of collectors who worked tirelessly throughout the day – what credit crunch?! As John shook the hands of each of his players outside the Guildhall, it was clearly about to come to an end. The old drum was hit for the final time ever, and the cheers of the crowds were deafening, bringing Flora Day 2009 to jts close. It has been a great 12 months for the band, its first ever time in the Championship Section. As a Championship Section Band, on our own historic Flora Day in our 'quaint old Cornish town', 16 miles completed, and a great group of friends - it doesn’t get much better than that. Quote of the Day: “He’s the only person I know that can make a cornet sound like a bagpipe” – Kevin Johns.

07/05/2009 Midday Practice.... Have You Seen The Forecast? With much of the town folk busily decorating the shops and houses throughout the day, our town was in the midst of its usual transformation into a flora heaven, having walked through the town today it seemed the only topic of conversation on the minds of Helstonians was the weather, and everyone had a different forecast, some predicting heavy rain, some a glorious spring day, and some covering their options by predicting everything. Whilst the streets were not yet closed, the general buzz around the town was in full flow. The fairground was up and running, the stalls were being set up and the shops and houses nearly finished. Band members have been busy ironing shirts, pressing trousers, cleaning instruments and polishing shoes in preparation for the big day tomorrow. Of course tonight, Flora Eve was the rehearsal for the gentry of the town for the Midday Dance. A quick demonstration ensued from this year’s leading dancers, and then the order of this most prestigious dance was revealed. Today was a particularly special time for our soprano cornet player Jeremy, who not only was as excited as his daughter will be on Christmas Eve in a few years time but was also celebrating his birthday. We have again been informed by Squibby that in two years time his fortieth birthday will fall on Flora Day, you do the maths. As usual, the rehearsal mixed some excellent dancers with some that should really consider popping up to Shimmy-Shakes-And-Movies, hiring out last years Flora DVD and spending the rest of the evening dancing around their living room. Tonight was also a little busier time for the stewards as opposed to last night, with far more constructive ‘advice’ being handed out to those dancers still not quite sure on the concept of left and right feet. If some of the dancers have the capacity to learn from their mistakes there will be a few geniuses tomorrow. Four groups of dancers later, and an hour later, with the Stewards’ voices somewhat jaded, the band retired to the Legion for a few well earned lemonades (we would never drink the night before Flora) On the way to the legion an ‘impromptu’ Samba Band took up residence outside Lloyds Bank, much to the disgust of some traditionalists!!! In the Legion the topic of conversation again inevitably turned to the weather. We headed off for an early night to bed with our fingers firmly crossed that we would wake to clear skies. Check back on Saturday for an account of the big day. Quote of the day - ‘He is so far back in the line you would think he was in the Evening Dance’ – Simon referring to David Bray

06/05/2009 Morning and Evening Rehearsals.... Quiet Please! Tonight we headed to the newly refurbished Epworth Hall, for the rehearsal of the early morning and evening dances. We positioned ourselves on the new stage and from this elevated vantage point, we could see who was wearing what, who should have been wearing more ‘support’, who could dance (and who couldn’t), and who was looking a bit grumpy because they were further back in the line than someone else. We’re not saying it’s political but the state of the global economy pales into insignificance relative to this. After the necessary big bang on the drum for silence (the first of many), John Eddy began the evening by making a special presentation to Mary Collins, who has been the Secretary of the Morning and Evening Dances for the last 21 years. Following a quick photo shoot by Helston’s Paparazzi, Mr Eddy again explained the history behind the dance. However, as seems to be the norm at these rehearsals, he faced a constant battle against the apparent incessant need for some of the dancers to continuously talk, whilst the Beginners in the band, some as young as eight, behaved impeccably, as we say every year – the ‘Youth of Today’ could teach some of them a thing or two. As with last year, John Hocking explained the etiquette of the day, stating that any dancers (male or female) wearing flip flops would be sent home along with the rest of their four. As we saw a marked footwear improvement last year, his message obviously hit home, and lets hope it does again this year. He also threatened to stamp on any mobile phones being used in the middle of the dance – ironically Adrian’s mobile had rung just seconds earlier. However, Adrian would have stamped on him if the same threat was applied. The band, fully refreshed from a weekend off, commenced in fine form and following a demonstration of the dance by this year’s leading four, the dancers were placed into order and split into two halves. We gave each half a quick rendition and a couple of laps around the hall. Not even an opportunity for a Drums Only solo tonight! Meanwhile, the woodlands of Trelowarren and Trevarno were being stripped of their finest greenery in order to decorate the town. The chicken wire has been placed on most of the shops in preparation for tomorrow’s decorating, and the mad rush by Helston’s businesses to get the best greenery will ensue first thing in the morning. Bamboo shoots have sprouted up on all the town signposts today, and looking at the weather forecast over the next 24 hours, they should get a good watering before Friday. Join us tomorrow for the account of Flora Day Eve, though be aware, we may have had a swift half by the time we get around to writing it! Quote of the Day: Mike Hocking - “It’s only right that one of them should fall out” (anyone who was there will understand the relevance).

01/05/09 May Day Evening.... A Great Little Army Eleven and a half hours after we last finished, and the weather has changed four seasons in one day, going from brilliant spring sunshine this morning to a torrential downpour this afternoon to a grey ‘will it rain won’t it?’ this evening. In actual fact, it didn’t rain, and Squibby’s weather forecast once again proved right. Check out his forecasting accuracy for the big day – he has predicted that Flora Day will be a “lovely spring day, sunny but not too hot, some light cloud but breezy. Ideal weather for the balloon man being swept up the street.” It’s rained on Trevithick Day, it’s rained on the Obby Oss, so let’s hope he’s right. Despite the weather, dozens of band members, from the tiniest Beginners to the slightly bigger Flora Day veterans, gathered outside the Guildhall for this evening’s rehearsal. Whilst we haven’t yet had the official census from Lionel, we don’t think we quite hit the 100-mark, and were just a few short. Rumour has it that a few members of the band didn’t make it as they were being tested for swine flu. Ok, so we’re telling ‘porkies’. There was a long line of dancers this evening, eager to practise their steps before the big day, and the usual scramble to lead the rehearsal ensued - adults pushing children out of the way, parents pushing those adults out of the way, the cornets pushing them out of the way and so on.... all resembling a scene from the Departure Lounge at Mexico Airport. With Simon and the 5 snare drummers stationed in the middle of the band, much to the relief of the cornets, we set off on the stroke of 7pm. There was a really good crowd out to support the band and a great atmosphere in the town, in anticipation of the big day in one week’s time. The Beginners did a fantastic job and it must be said that their marching skills were excellent. Helston Town Band will be sure to retain the Deportment Prize at Bugle in 20 years time with these children as the future marching band … then again, anything can happen at Bugle! As we reached the Guildhall to conclude May Day, panic struck in with the realisation that Ian was away – the only member of this Championship Section Band able to play Happy Birthday from memory. By virtue of the fact that nobody else would/could do it – (other than Keith, whose birthday it was, which defeats the point really) - Philip stepped up to the challenge and played a nippy version of Happy Birthday to mark Keith’s 63rd Birthday. So a few miles completed, another successful May Day was over and we headed off to the Legion for a couple of lemonades and endured the excitement of the Meat Draw. For those wondering, Kevin won a lovely Leg of Lamb. We know how to party in Helston Band … Conversation centred around Flora Days past, and above all, the trials and tribulations of playing in the second band for the Children’s Dance – see Adrian for the full heartfelt account. A relaxing bank-holiday weekend to whisk ourselves up into a frenzy of excitement is in front us, and on Wednesday we head down to the Epworth Hall to rehearse the Morning and Evening dance. These 80 couples should have the dance off to a fine art already, and a couple of laps around the Hall and we should be done. Quote of the Day: (Whilst discussing the need for Sudocrem to relieve chafing on Flora Day) – “It’s not my fault that I have muscular thighs” – Adrian Waters

01/05/09 May Day Morning.... One Week And Counting After a couple of nights off, we assembled outside the Guildhall just before 6.30am (yes, in the morning, really) ready for the annual May Day celebrations. Today is generally considered (although not by the band) as the unofficial Flora Day 'rehearsal', falling exactly one week before the big day. Whilst we were all set to go for the traditional 6.30am start, unfortunately a huge Stokes lorry and a double decker bus had other ideas. The bus got stuck behind the delivery lorry in Meneage Street, meaning there was not a chance of the band getting past, and that was without Adrian. So we could not start until 6.40am, once the vehicles had passed. Ten whole minutes of sleep needlessly denied thanks to the Stokes lorry and the bus. Buy your fruit and veg in BP Wills! The sound of the big bass drum woke us all from our semi-sleep, and no doubt woke most of the population of Helston , as the band paraded through the town from the Guildhall playing the famous tune in the spring sunshine. Despite the untimely hour, a healthy number of spectators turned out to enjoy this early morning spectacle. Many people stood and watched in their pyjamas holding a cup of tea, sporting that 'Just out of Bed' look - alright for some. That said, certain members of the band also managed a similar look. According to Lionel - Band Secretary and Official May Day Counter-Upper - this morning we had 49 members in the band (Beginners, Juniors and Seniors), with some children in the band making their first ever May Day performance. Baby Emly Squibb, at just eight months old, made her Flora Day debut on tambourine. Judging by her performance she will be following in her uncle 's footsteps rather than her parents, and taking up a ‘proper' instrument . We finished at 7.40am, exactly one hour's work. Time for a quick cup of coffee before we all head off to work and school - and all before the Obby Oss has even got out of bed. Although there were minimal dancers this morning, there is no doubt that by 7pm this evening there will be several more, and the band will swell in ranks when we are joined by more Beginners and Juniors - will we pass the 100 mark, never reached before? Quote of the day: Driver of double decker bus stuck in Meneage Street, on his radio - "May Day, May Day