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Devon Events

2008 Forthcoming Events...

Art @ Delamore 08
1st May to 31st May 2008
Artists both established and new are gearing up for the sixth annual exhibition Art @ Delamore 08. Featuring more than 150 leading painters and sculptors from the Southwest and across the UK, this show promises to have something for everyone. “We pride ourselves on bringing a fresh, thought provoking and diverse collection of fine art to the public every year” commented Gavin Dollard, one of the exhibition’s Directors. And if the huge success of the 2007 exhibition is anything to go by, this year will be a must see. The show is held on the Delamore estate in Cornwood, a landmark of traditional Dartmoor architecture, but this event is far from conservative. Alongside one another will be works from Richard Snowden, a provocative artist from North Yorkshire, Alex Garnett, fast becoming known for his outsized household objects, renowned London based artist Alastair Mackie, plus Jane Burt’s intriguing “green” greenhouse piece made from recycled plastic bottles. On the more traditional side, visitors can explore the estate’s spectacular gardens and main hall whilst viewing the various works on show. The Millennium Avenue at the back of the house displays the largest Cromlech in the world, where visitors can walk the 200 meters (one meter for each decade) of the lime avenue up to the Tomb. This year promises to be the best exhibition yet, with twice as much to see. A sculpture trail from the main house and garden will lead to the new Delamore Gallery, where the Spring Forward show will host photography & crafts including jewellery, ceramics, glass-work, sculpture, textiles and print-making. “Spring Forward will complement the work shown at Delamore house by exhibiting an unusual and eclectic display of crafts from a variety of local, national, and international artists” says Abby Keverne, the gallery manager. Spring Forward will take place from 18th April – 8th June, showcasing jewellery by Stephanie Buddle and Sarah Scott, print-work by Emma Molony and Jo Talbot Bowen, textile-based pieces by Adam Halls, metalwork by renowned artist Melanie Guy, plus much more...Web: http://www.delamore-art.co.uk Email: admin@delamore.com

The Barbican International Jazz and Blues Festival
3rd - 11th May 2008
International names for first ever event that wants to put Plymouth on the Jazz map. The Barbican International Jazz and Blues Festival will take place for the first time this year. It will be coinciding with the Artemis Transat, which takes over The Barbican from May 3-11. Artists set to play include a mix of the best of the locals, plus some national names - and a couple of overseas outfits too. Expect gigs from: Vince Lee, Louise Parker, Diz Watson, Jazz Orient, Earl Okin, The Paul Harris Trio, The Half Quartet, Mama Tokus, The Dixie Blue Band, Preston Reed. More artistes will be announced nearer the date. Sign up for info-updates at: www.barbicanjazzandbluesfestival.com

Mamma Mia Italian Market - Exeter
9th - 11th May 2008
Identifiable by the striking red, white and green stalls and decorated with flags, this attractive and vibrant market is guaranteed to tantalise the taste buds!!! Delicious food products on offer include a deli counter with parma ham, salami, cheeses including parmesan and mozzarella, olives and olive oils, Italian sweets and ice cream, nuts, dried fruits, breads, cakes and more! For lunch why not sample the traditional tasty Sicilian food on offer. And if you miss our first event, then don't be disappointed as the market is scheduled to return again on the 19, 20 & 21 September 2008. Web: http://www.exeter.gov.uk/marketsEmail: markets@exeter.gov.uk

International Music Festival - Dartmouth
16th - 18th May 2008
Set on the banks of the River Dart, Dartmouth is host to the annual International Music Festival. Ever since the Festival started in 1998, the eclectic mix of blues, choral, opera, folk, orchestral, rock, jazz etc, has won the hearts of locals and visitors and become one of the star events in Dartmouth’s calendar. Email: info@dartmouth-music-festival.org.uk www.dartmouth-music-festival.org.uk

Cockington Bat Bonanza
16th May 2008 - 20:15 - 22:15
Discover more about the masters of nocturnal aviation. We will use bat detectors to tune into their ultrasonic calls. Meet at the Higher Lodge Car Park. Adults £3.50, Children free. Higher Lodge Car Park, Cockington, Torquay, Devon TQ2 6XA. Tel: 01803 606035

Livewire AC/DC
Exeter Corn Exchange 16 May 2008
THE AC/DC show with a big difference. BOTH the Bon Scott & Brian Johnson eras of the band are portrayed by two different singers, in an explosive two hour plus show. The band bring the full size 'DC show to the fore, complete with the Cannons, the Hells Bell, the walkways and the backdrops & drapes. You'll hear all the classics from 'Whole Lotta Rosie' & 'Highway To Hell' to 'Thunderstruck' & 'Back In Black'.
There are no cutting corners with Livewire, and it shows – Close your eyes, you hear AC/DC - Open your eyes, you see AC/DC!! Tickets £12 (£14 on the door) Starts 8.00pm (doors 7.15) www.exeter.gov.uk/cornexchange
Email: cornexchange@exeter.gov.uk

Devon Bear Fair
The Exmouth Pavilion 18th May 2008
Featuring some 45 stalls with hundreds of teddy bears - old and antique - new artist and designer, handcrafted by national, international and top local bear artists - many from Devon & Cornwall! In addition there will be free valuation for oldies by Tricia of ‘Teddies of Trenode’, who will have a superb range of veterans for sale. There will also be restoration advice on hand for any old and infirmed teddies brought in.
Emmary Bears will be providing a full range of bear making materials for bear artists, plus bear kits, patterns and accessories. There will also be another well-known material supplier Norbeary, in attendance, with the fabulous Schulte and Hermbold mohairs. Dawn Slaughter will once again be offering practical help and advice for budding novices, so bring along a stuffed head for first class tuition on nose and ear sewing and eye placement. Among the many stalls, Apple Pie House will again be in attendance with an amazing range of teddies and friends by Steiff, Deans, Merrythought, R John Wright, Deb Canham etc. Also there will be Kingswear Bears and Urchins Bears from Boscastle, both with superb selections of collectable bears. The charity Animals Asia will be asking for, and getting good support. As in previous years there will be a ‘Open Competition’, for visitors and stand holders alike, for an ‘Own Bear Creation’ of any size, shape, dressed or undressed. Voting will be by the visitors with the winner receiving a bottle of Champagne and an Engraved Cup. There will also be a Free Prize Draw for some Special Teddy Bears open to all visitors, which will be drawn at approximately 3.45pm. The 2008 Devon Bear Fair will take place between 10.00am and 4.00pm and the entrance fees will be £2.00 for adults, £1.00 for senior citizens and children under 14 will be admitted for free. For more info please visit www.emmarybears.co.uk or email richard@butler2005.wanadoo.co.uk

Exmouth Festival
Various Locations - 22/05/2008 - 30/05/2008
The 2007 Festival was bigger than ever and was enjoyed by 1000s of people.Please put the date in your diary for the next one: 22 - 30 May 2008. More days; more fun to be had! For more info log onto www.exmouthfestival.org.uk
or email: exmouth@btinternet.com

Plymouth Volksfest
23/05/2008 - 26/05/2008 – Newnham Park
Welcome to Plymouth Volksfest, a new and exciting show for 2008, being held in the picturesque setting of Newnham Park. Situated on the outskirts of Plymouth, Newnham Park is set in a beautiful oak wooded valley at the heart of a 1550 acre country estate between the City of Plymouth and Dartmoor National Park.
The show will offer everyone a chilled out, family friendly weekend with lots of entertainment for all. We have a great line up of live bands, DJ Tent, children's entertainment and much more, not forgetting the Show'n'Shine of course! For a full events list have a look on the website! Advanced tickets from tickets@plymouthvolksfest.co.uk Club Camping: clubs@plymouthvolksfest.co.uk www.plymouthvolksfest.co.uk or email: info@plymouthvolksfest.co.uk

Beatrix Potter Exhibition 2008
RHS Rosemoor, Great Torrington 24 May – 25 Aug 2008
Rosemoor is delighted to show this enchanting exhibition of twenty-four original illustrations by Beatrix Potter. The pictures being displayed have been specially selected for Rosemoor, and are based on the theme of plants and gardens – they include pictures of Beatrix Potter’s home in the Lake District, her childhood and her family. Although she died in 1943, she is still one of the world’s best-selling and best-loved children’s authors, having written a total of 28 books. However, the well loved Miss Potter had other significant talents as well, being a gifted natural scientist and botanical illustrator and an enthusiastic farmer, sheep-breeder and conservationist! We have worked closely with the National Trust and the publisher Frederick Warne to prepare this exhibition and are extremely grateful to them both for their invaluable assistance and generosity. Normal garden fee entry. www.rhs.org.uk or email: dianagilding@rhs.org.uk for more information.

21 The Mint Open Day - Exeter
24/05/2008 - 26/05/2008 11am to 4pm
Rescued and restored refectory wing of 11th century St Nicholas Priory. Whole House and Courtyard Garden open 11am to 4pm. Entrance free. No 21 The Mint represents the former Refectory wing of the llth Century Benedictine Priory of St Nicholas founded on the authority of William the Conqueror. It was a high single storey dining hall open to the roof, but with the Eastern end, on the other side of a timber and plaster partition, arranged in two or three storeyed chambers. The Priory consisted of four ranges around a square, roofed cloister walkway, with a central garth (garden) The great Priory church occupied the South side and the West range comprised the Prior's chamber, splendid Guest hall etc and a large kitchen, which also served the adjoining Refectory in the North range. The monks lived, worked and prayed here for 450 years, with building and re-building continuing throughout, as funds permitted. Much of what we see today dates from their major re-building of the 15th century. Mint Lane is a small lane lying between Fore St and Bartholomew Street West. For more info logon to www.ehbt.org.uk/index.htm or email: enquiries@ehbt.org.uk

Blackdown Hills Food and Drink Festival
Various Locations 24/05/2008 - 01/06/2008
This is the first ever week long food festival in the Blackdown Hills, organised by the their very own food and drink group who are a dedicated bunch of farmers, growers, producers, retailers and caterers. With support from Somerset Food Links they are putting on 9 days of events including cider tastings, a real ale festival. cookery sessions, tutored cheese tastings and a number of farm open days – ideal for a family day out over half term. To find out more details about the events visit www.blackdownhillsfoods.co.uk or e mail kateh@foodlinks.org.uk. The Blackdown Hills are a little-known group of hills lying on the border of Devon and Somerset. Broadly, the area extends from Wellington in the north to Honiton in the south and from Cullompton in the west to Chard in the east. The Blackdown Hills are best known for the dramatic, steep, wooded scarp face they present to the north. To the south the land dips away gently as a plateau, deeply dissected by valleys. On top of the plateau there are wide open windswept spaces; in the valleys nestle villages and hamlets surrounded by ancient and intricate patterns of small enclosed fields and a maze of winding high-hedged lanes. What makes the Blackdown Hills special is the unspoilt rural character of the "ordinary" landscape. Farming, largely dairying, has retained many traditional practices. The area remains sparsely populated and there are no towns within the area of outstanding natural beauty.

Wizard Week
25/05/2008 - 01/06/2008 Powderham Castle, South Devon
Wizards gather your hats and wands and join us for a spellbinding week. Help the Castle’s wizard, Wacky Wiglog do magic tricks, follow the wizardry trail and see mysterious owls up close and learn about their fascinating behaviour. For more information and full details contact www.powderham.co.uk or email: castle@powderham.co.uk

Appledore Visual Arts Festival 2008
29th May – 1st June 2008
The festival is unusual in that it offers visitors the opportunity to interact with many of the artists involved, as well as being able to get really close to – and even touch – some of the works that have been created. Over the course of the weekend, the village of Appledore in North Devon will welcome some 100 artists from all over the country and host over 70 exhibitions, workshops, talks and art-creation events, alongside craft stalls and live music – many of which are free. This year's theme is Ritual Feasts and will be an artistic celebration of the ceremonies and traditions associated with eating and drinking. The festival was founded by internationally-renowned ceramic artist and Appledore-based Sandy Brown, who commented: "As a ceramic artist, touch is incredibly important to me in creating my work and yet audiences don't often get the chance to experience art through that medium. So when the idea of the festival was conceived, being able to get close enough to touch some of the works was seen as fundamental".The unveiling of Sandy's new body of work Ritual: the Still Point and the Dance, which has been over a year in the making, will be a highlight of the festival. Visitors will actually enter the exhibition by climbing through one of Sandy's large-scale sculptures. A series of film shorts is also included in the festival programme for the first time. Other events offer visitors the opportunity to create edible mandalas (ritualistic designs representing the universe which are used in both Buddhism and Hinduism), join in the mysteriously-named Deep Soup Ceremony, or take part in competitions from painting estuary views to showing off their cake decorating skills; while youngsters can take part in workshops from animation to carnival art, or help make a giant clay birthday cake on the quay. Other participating artists include the well-established, such as Mike Dodd, exhibiting in Appledore for the first time; and Clive Bowen, widely recognised as the best slipware potter in the world; as well as those just starting out, such as the students involved with the Young Torridge Ceramic Project. Mike and Clive, together with other artists from the Devon Guild of Craftsmen, have created Modern Banquet, an installation which aims to show that the dining experience is greatly enhanced when the utensils and furniture are beautiful works of art. For more info contact http://www.appledorearts.org or email: info@appledorearts.org