Hello everyone
With less than 80 days left on the Speen Festival 2009 countdown, the launch is now in sight so things are really hotting up around here. In early June, mission control shot into orbit our SpeenFest Interactive! Photography Workshop. "Eye opening (pun intended?) and "thought provoking" were just some of the comments from the attendees. Indeed such was the success of the day that Martin Hart is already planning another event so watch this space.
 
Speen Stars in the Making - Saturday 11 July, Speen Fete
The next SpeenFest Interactive! event offers you the opportunity to help create the Speen Festival 2009 tapestry. Designed by our resident experts, the tapestry will be displayed at the Speen Festival stand at the Fete where a galaxy of stars will be waiting for you to add your name and to decorate as you wish - this is a hands-on community event so rock on down and make your mark.
 
Festival of Food - Sunday 13 September
And now onto the latest news of the Festival itself! I am delighted to announce that Beverley Glock of Splat Cooking, a regular broadcaster and Sunday Times cookery columnist, will be one of the stars of our Festival of Food demonstrating the fine art of Italian cookery. What's more, she will also be running two cookery workshops where you can learn how to make sugar paste roses and master the fine art of pasta-making. Children and adults are welcome at both workshops.
 
For children, there will be two 'foody' competitions: one will be to create a recipe for a healthy but 'wicked' pudding using fresh fruit of the season; the other will be to design your own decorated cupcake. Further details will available soon in school book-bags and on the Festival website.
 
If that were not tempting enough, amongst the other exhibitors now confirmed at our Festival of Food, we have fine game, locally-produced healthy cereals, sumptuous cakes, wine and champagne, Thai cookery, locally grown and produced fine cooking oils, a cookery demonstration by David Hill, Chef Patron of our very own King William IV, Beechdean Dairy Ice Cream and a Beer Festival - a veritable cornucopia of loveliness!
 
Ticket Sales
And finally, a word of warning. Since the Box Office opened a mere three weeks ago, tickets have been flying out of the door with the jazz, cabaret supper and our theatre production, HONK! doing particularly well, all of which we fully expect to sell out very soon. If you still need Festival tickets, buy them now. Next week we will be sending out a second wave of booking forms throughout the neighbouring communities and creating a Speen Festival publicity splash, which includes an exhibition in the Princes Risborough Tourist Office. You can also download a booking form by clicking here. So act now before you miss out!
 
The countdown continues...

Best wishes
 

Jem Symondson
Chair
Speen Festival 2009 Committee