I would like to return to an old theme in this article and that is how easy it
is to organize an event for FolkMog. This is mainly because everyone is so
nice that the pressure to do it really well is completely off your shoulders.
Of course this does actually make you try even harder but that is another story.
Owing to fact that Diana and I came second in last year's Treasure hunt and
that the winners that year, Simon and Rosemary Daunt, were guests from AngleMog
we were given the task of setting this years hunt. The hunting area would be
our home town of Aldeburgh, famous for fish and chips, the infamous Shell,
and Benjamin Britten. Luckily a few weeks before we ran in to one of the stewards
of the Moot Hall who we talked in to opening up just for us. In addition we
asked the Mayor if it would be OK to park our cars outside the aforementioned
hall. We set some of the questions inside the hall and also decided to make
the hunt untimed so that everyone could spend as much time as they liked in
the Tudor meeting place. We also checked out the lifeboat station which would
be open if the lifeboat was there. If it was not there it would mean that there
was a practice or a 'shout'. As it turned out there was a practice on and we
got a bonus show of both lifeboats being recovered.
So the scene was set and we arrived at the car parking area at ten in the
morning convinced that we would be the first to arrive. Simon and Rosemary
had arrived just before us having had a very easy run up from Colchester.
We quickly set up signs and led them to the car park. Others started to arrive
soon after so that by ten forty five most had arrived. A precedent had been
set the year before when tea, coffee and cakes had been provided so we felt
duty bound to do the same. Actually we could not do hot water so it had to
be fruit juice and cakes. Luckily I managed to force Diana into cooking lots
too much so there are loads left over (Yummy).
Once everyone had arrived and the hall had been opened we could extract
money (we had prepaid the entrance to the hall as well as promised the RNLI
something) and lunch orders from everyone in exchange for a question sheet.
This brings me to the only downside of the day for me and that was that I
had to watch everyone walking off to have fun and not be able to join in.
Ah well, at least I could sneakily drive the car back home and walk back,
thus enabling drinking at the White Lion later. We also confirmed what we
had always sort of known that a Morgan is its own security device. As we
sat in the shelter watching the crew wend their way towards the town we noticed
that Morgans, especially in a group generate a crowd. How could anyone steal
your car with so many people looking on.
Diana and I retired to the White Lion where we waited in the bar for people to finish. We had reserved a room to ourselves for lunch and once everyone had a arrived we asked for food to be served which it was and jolly nice it was to.
As to the results of the hunt, these seem almost unimportant as everyone claimed to have had a lovely time and we were thanked by everyone which was nice (refer to opening paragraph). However to those who would like to know the winners were, for the second year running, and by only half a point, Simon and Rosemary Daunt, followed closely by Roger and Chrissie Tatton, and Alan and Pat Brathwaite coming a close third.
We were very pleased to welcome four newcomers to FolkMog events Rob and Carol Van der Sande and Graham and Jenny Murrell. We look forward to seeing them at future events.
Our thanks to everyone for making it such an easy event to organise.
