General public booking for the 2015 Ryedale Festival opens on Monday 18^th May. The Festival runs from 17 July to 2 August.

This year, alongside the now-customary high-class classical music and performance, there will be jazz, music workshops, a series of talks, the brass ensemble Aedelfrith (at Botton), and last but not least the Red Hedgehog Tavern (recreated in the Milton Rooms)!

The Triple concert at Castle Howard and the two Double Concerts at Sledmere House are sure to be very popular, so early booking is advised.

Finally, the Rydale Festival has become renowned not least for its opera productions. This year’s staging, Franz Lehar’s comic operetta “The Merry Widow” promises to be a crowd-puller.

For full details of the 51 events in this year’s Ryedale Festival, and how to book, visit the Festival website: http://www.ryedalefestival.com

People have been heading to the Slingsby Village website in record numbers recently.

But now is the time to head to a polling booth in the Village Hall, if you’ve not already done so.  Break a turnout record, why not?

OK, it’s too late to ask you to vote early, but we do here get the chance to vote twice, once to elect our MP for Thirsk and Malton, and once to elect our Ryedale Councillor.

If you’re one of the hard-working people of Slingsby that all parties wish to attract, perhaps reading this after a hard day in the office/shop/farm etc, please make sure you have exercised your democratic right – and have properly earned your right to complain about the next government.

With the outcome so finely balanced, your vote has never been more valuable.

Governments may come and go, but the Slingsby Village Website goes on……

The Slingsby Village website attained a new viewing record over the bank holiday weekend with traffic peaking on the Sunday topping the previous record (set in May 2013) by over 30%. In all, the website received 15 days worth of page views within a 48hr period from the Sunday to the Bank Holiday Monday.

Most of the traffic came from online searches for the Slingsby events, aided by social media page posts and links on other websites.

The Mausoleum with the New River Bridge at Castle Howard | Photo by Colin Douthwaite

The sun rising behind the Mausoleum in the mist at Castle Howard | Photo by Neil Marshall

Two photographs, by two photographers, feature in April’s photo of month slot, with both images focussing on the Mausoleum at Castle Howard. It was pure coincidence that both photographers choose to send in photographs with different views of the same subject.

Many thanks to Colin and Neil for sending these great photographs in

Do you have a great photograph you’d like to share with us?

If you’d like to submit an image for the photo of the month slot, you can send it to [email protected]

More details about how to submit photographs can be found HERE

Looking for somewhere to visit over the bank holiday weekend? Simples! It’s the busiest weekend of the year in Slingsby’s event calendar with a triple bill of events including the scarecrow trail, the first Slingsby car boot sale of the season and the May Day celebrations taking place over the bank holiday weekend.

The Scarecrow trail launches today and continues over the bank holiday weekend, with the other events such as the car boot sale and May Day Celebrations taking place on Monday 4th.

Over May Day weekend, please support the Friends of Slingsby School by purchasing a trail (£2 each) from Robin Hood Caravan Park, The Grapes Inn or Tony’s Village Shop. The School Reading Rooms will be open from 12noon – 4pm on Saturday 2nd May and Sunday 3rd May to sell trails as well as teas, coffees, juices and light snacks. It promises to be an excellent weekend for villagers and guests alike – it would be great to see you there

May Day Celebrations take place on The Green, Slingsby, May 4th. 2015 starting at 12 noon and ending at 4pm.

This year, we have introduced some changes to the events seen over the years as part of our celebrations of the coming of spring, while still retaining the idea of a quintessential English feast day. Music will be provided by ‘The Buskers’, two professional accordion players who will be playing a medley of English and French melodies from noon till 12.45pm.

The children of Slingsby school will then dance around the Maypole, followed by the Bulmer Choir led by Ryan and they will sing a medley of Beatles’ songs and a madrigal about the month of May. Morris Dancers will then perform on the tarmac, so that the sounds of their clogs beat the rhythm. After a short spell from ‘The Buskers’ the programme will be repeated with the choir starting followed by the Maypole Dancers, and finally the Morris Dancers.

The Buskers will give a final burst of music and the raffle will be drawn. While all these items are taking place there are various stalls around the Green and tasty refreshments by the Reading Rooms. we hope that a goodly crowd comes along and enjoys a wonderful day out.

PROGRAMME OF EVENTS.

• 12 noon – 12.45 pm THE BUSKERS.
• 12.45 pm – 1.05 pm. MAYPOLE DANCING.
• 1.10 pm – 1.30 pm. BULMER CHOIR.
• 1.35 pm – 2.0 pm. MORRIS DANCING.
• 2.00 pm – 2.15 pm. THE BUSKERS.
• 2.15 pm – 2.35 pm. BULMER CHOIR.
• 2.40 pm – 3.00 pm. MAYPOLE DANCING.
• 3.00 pm – 3.20 pm. MORRIS DANCING.
• 3.30 pm – 4.00 pm RAFFLE.
• THE BUSKERS .

Finally there is the first Slingsby Car boot of 2015 – always a popular event and usually the busiest of the Slingsby car booting season!

As usual the car boot will take place on bank holiday Monday (May 4th) at Slingsby’s sports field, from 7 am to 2 pm (weather and ground conditions permitting, of course).