THE NEWSLETTER OF CRYSTAL PALACE BAND

Issue: 16 (October 2006)

Well here we are at the end of the summer season already. The concerts in the parks and on the bandstands have gone well. Many were played during the heat wave and we would like to thank the organisations that hired the band and provided bottles of water and victuals, these were very much appreciated. We would also like to thank those who despite the heat came to listen to us play, your support is always welcome. As usual Christmas will be a busy time for the band. We look forward to our Gala Concert in particular as it is always well attended (don’t let us down this year, please) and there is always a wonderful, friendly atmosphere.
Future Events
November
Sunday 12th Belmont Remembrance Parade, 10.00 am
December
Saturday 2nd Gala Concert, St. Bartholomews's Church Sydenham, 7.00 pm
Sunday 3rd Christmas Tree Service, St Christopher's Hospice
Saturday 9th Concert withJubilate Choir, St John's Church, Upper Norwood, Time TBA
Sunday 10th Horniman Gardens Carols. 5.00 pm start
Saturday 16th Carols, Penge High Street, Time TBA
Sunday 17th Carols/Christmas Music, Bromley Conservative Club, 7.45 pm
Tuesday 19th Parkinson's Disease Society Carols, Southwark Cathedral


A New Arrival
Our trombone player, Toby and his wife Maria have a daughter. Her name is Sophie and she was born Wed 7 June 2006,
We wish the family the very best for the future.
Please keep an eye on our
website for a list of our
performances. Thanks to the
hard work of Roger Morton it is
always up to date, entertaining
and informative.
Another New Arrival
Our Conductor Mike is proud to announce the birth of a
grandson.
We send little Matthew,
born 26th Sept, and his parents all our best wishes
Engagement
Congratulations to Catherine and John who announced their engagement by text message whilst we were away on our trip. We wish them all the very best
for the future.
NINE MEMBERS OF THE BAND APPEARED ON GMTV on Monday 26 June and were such a success that they were asked to appear again on the following Friday! They appeared live on air at 7.15 and 8.20. They appeared with Bobby Davro who was guest appearing for GMTV. Apparently it was good fun despite the early start but everyone got a bit fed up with playing non-stop renditions of 'Amarillo'.


The Band Trip to Cornwall
By Maggie Stallybrass
Piskies, Pasties and the Beast of Bodmin – a brief guide!
Bright and early on a Friday morning, players, guests and groupies of Crystal Palace Band gathered outside St. John’s Church in Penge for the 2006 band trip. For a change, we were not leaving at midnight for an overnight drive, but setting off at the very civilized (ha!) time of 5.30am for the drive to the most south-westerly corner of mainland Britain – the Cornish were about to see what London Lads (and Lasses) could do …

On our first evening we headed out from our hotel just outside Bodmin, and hit the surfing town of Newquay. Most of the band headed for fish and chips, and after defending our food from persistent seagulls settled down to enjoying the evening. For some this was a relaxed evening with a nice local pint, others took in the less civilised but perhaps more traditional sights of Newquay – stag parties, hen nights, and general frolics!		 The next morning saw us set off towards the most southern point of the British Isles to gaze at the enormous satellite dishes at Goonhilly Earth Space Station. We had the opportunity to visit the visitor centre and tour the site before stopping for lunch at Roskilly’s farmhouse, where we got to eat home-made sandwiches and salads and follow it up with wonderful ice cream made at the farm from their own Jersey cows. Eventually we managed to drag ourselves away, and head to St. Keverne for the evening’s concert. After being fed with amazing Cornish pasties, Crystal Palace played the first half of the concert, followed by some pieces played by St. Keverne. We then joined forces and played the last four pieces of the concert as a massed band, before heading to the bar to continue mingling with our new found Cornish friends.
After recovering from the night before, we left the hotel on Sunday for Falmouth for an afternoon concert. After some tough navigation and impressive driving we got to our destination with enough time to spare for at least one member of the party to go swimming before playing the concert in the square, and then the entire party squeezing into an amazing tapas restaurant to celebrate the last night of a successful trip. Finally on returning to the hotel later that evening, the now traditional Annual Awards were presented in the hotel lounge, to the amusement/bemusement of the staff and other guests still in the bar! The after-show party continued late into the night … ? … and everyone was happy to sleep and relax on the coach on the way back home on Monday morning, recovering from a successful trip, and thinking about where to go next year!

Full report, awards and photos on the web


If you wish to contact the editor, please do so in one of the following ways:
e-mail Carol Maher at woal@btinternet.com OR phone 020 8699 7850 OR write 42,Winsford Road, Catford, London, SE^ 4LX
If you have a general band enquiry (e.g. you would like to join the band, or would like to book the band) please contact the Secretary, Rachel Bleach, on 020 8776 2520, OR mail@crystalpalaceband.co.uk OR visit our website www.crystalpalaceband.co.uk-.
The views expressed in this newsletter are the personal views of the Editor and are not necessarily those of the Crystal Palace Band.
No part of this newsletter may be reproduced in any way, including on websites, without the express permission of the Editor. © June 2005