Golcar will be the focus for music, history, fun and food on its annual celebration day … and a flypast by a World War Two fighter.
The ever-popular Golcar Lily Day on Saturday, May 13, will take over the entire village and also feature games, crafts, exhibitions, classic cars and lots of brass bands.
It starts at 11am and goes right through to teatime and, if the weather is fine, a Hurricane fighter or a Spitfire from the 1940s should swoop low over the Colne Valley around 3pm.
A procession through the village sets off from the Golcar Conservative Club car park on Knowl Road at 1.30pm and will be on the theme of fairytale royalty to fit in with King Charles’ coronation.
One of the main entertainment hubs will be Town End in the centre of Golcar featuring loads of stalls and games but several historical re-enactments will be held on Manor Road school field along with bungee trampolines, a bouncing dome and slide and a Thomas The Tank Engine land train.
Re-enactment groups at an arena on the field include WW2 French Resistance (11am), Napoleonic drill and firing (11.30am), militia training (12noon), English Civil War pike drill (2pm), have a go at Napoleonic drill (2.30pm), arming of the knight and tournament (3.15pm) and a marching through history parade featuring all the re-enactors at 4pm.
Classic cars will be on show at Thorpe Green Bowling Club on Leymoor Road and the entertainment there will go on into the evening with singer songwriter Dale Taylor.
Colne Valley Museum will feature traditional craft demonstrations, an art exhibition, children’s crafts, bread-baking and its tearoom will be open.
Music at Town End will be Huddersfield Wind Band (11am-12noon), Halifax Concert Band (12.15pm-1.15pm), Slaithwaite Band will lead the parade at 1.30pm and then play between 2pm and 3pm, Samba Band (3pm-4pm).
Other entertainment in that area will include maypole dancing (11am), belly dancers at 2pm and the White Rose Morris Dancers throughout the day.
Other musical entertainment in the churches will be:
St John’s Church – Golcar Brass Band (11.30am-12.30pm), Fishing4Compliments indie folk pop band (1pm-2pm) and Sundown Swing big band (2.45pm-4.30pm).
Providence Methodist Church on Knowl Road – True Talent Theatre School (11am-12noon), Vintage Brass Band (12.30pm-1.30pm), Linthwaite Brass band (2.30pm to 3.30pm) and Huddersfield and Ripponden Brass Band (3.30pm-4.30pm).
Food will be served in St John’s Church. Providence Methodist, Golcar Scout and Community Centre on Manor Road, Colne Valley Museum and Thorpe Green Bowling Club with barbecues at Town End and Manor Road school field. There will be a pizza van, an Indian food van and a van serving coffee and crepes. All the usual Golcar food outlets and pubs will be open.
Golcar Winkle Club will have its beer tent and gin bar at Golcar Scout and Community Centre.
Golcar library will have leaflets so people can explore Golcar’s ginnels and activities in the library will include face-painting and juggling.
There is no parking in the centre of Golcar on the day but a park and ride bus will run from the Lower Royal George pub on New Hey Road near Scammonden.
Disabled parking will be allowed at Golcar Scout and Community Centre.
The name Golcar Lily Day originates from the fact that the Lily of the Valley flower grew widely throughout the Colne Valley before the Industrial Revolution.
- Written by ANDY HIRST who runs his own Yorkshire freelance journalism agency AH! PR (https://ah-pr.com/) specialising in press releases, blogging, website content and copywriting.
