Congleton Round Table

Race nights social - Thursday 25th June

Join the runners and riders at the pre-beer festival race night. Forget Chester races (because we lost too much money last week!) or Ascot (because it's too expensive), come and join Ladies' Circle and Round Table for an evening of fun, socialising and video horse racing. Will your horse be first past the post and showered in champagne or humanely dispatched and rendered into glue?

This event is being organised as a joint Round Table and Ladies' Circle night. The first race starts at 8pm on Thursday 25th June in the beer festival marquee behind Congleton Leisure Centre. The festival beer won't be ready but there will be bottled beer and a bite to eat.

Get your tickets from our stall at the Food and Drink Festival opening afternoon in the Town Hall on Sunday 21st June.

Congleton Summer Beer Festival 2009 - 27th June

Put the date in your diaries, calendars, i-Phones, write it on your hand, but don't miss out on what has become a firmly established event in the town's summer season. It's June, so that can mean only one thing - it's the Congleton Round Table and Ladies' Circle Summer Beer Festival. The date you need to remember is Saturday 27th June and the venue is the big marquee on Hankinson's Field beside the leisure centre. This year, the organisers have worked with the inaugural Congleton Food and Drink Festival to ensure that the beer event will be a great way to bring the curtain down on what should be a fantastic week for foodies and beer-lovers from the town and further afield.

As usual, there will be two sessions on the day. The afternoon session from 12.00-4.30pm is free and the evening session from 6.00-11.00pm is just £6.00. What better way could there be of helping to raise much needed funds for the local charities that benefit from the beer festival and other events organised throughout the year by Congleton Round Table and Ladies' Circle? Ladies' Circle Chairman, Karen Hogg, said, "We've kept our increased capacity again this year which is a sure sign that the people of Congleton really enjoy this annual day out. No-one should be disappointed at not getting in but don't leave it too late to get your tickets, the popularity speaks for itself".

What could be better on a summer's afternoon or evening than spending a few hours with good friends, having a laugh and guzzling a pint of "Guzzler" or supping a glass of "Bound Brand Scrumpy"? Beer aficionados and regulars alike won't be disappointed with Beer Meister Nigel Staniforth's selection of more than 50 real ales this year. Nigel's reputation for picking tasty tipples has been building over the years the festival has been running and, in what is now the 5th year, he has chosen to show-case more local beers with selections from Beartown ("Ursa Major" and "Festival Special"), Bollington ("Wheat Nancy") and Storm ("Beauforts Ale"). Of course there will also be the usual selection of old favourites such as Eccleshall's "Top Totty", Peakstones Rock "Oblivion" and Heather's "Froach Heather Ale" from Scotland. In addition, for the first time some real lager will be available, so all tastes are covered!

There will be food available to purchase at both sessions and in the evening live music will be provided by the ever popular "Dazed and Confused". Table Chairman James Anderton said, "Dazed and Confused have had the place rocking in the past couple of years and are returning to Hankinson's Field for the 3rd year in a row".

So if you fancy spending an afternoon or evening sipping "Stone The Crows" or downing a "Drunken Duck", get out now and buy your tickets from Congleton Leisure Centre, The Beartown Tap, Waters' Green Tavern in Macclesfield or Congleton Tourist Information Centre.

For further information and to see a full range of the beer, cider and perry on offer see the website at: www.congletonroundtable.org.uk/beerfestival There is still time to become involved either as a sponsor of the event or by helping out on the day. Anyone interested in doing so should contact Karen Hogg on 01260 273167.

Congleton Food and Drink Festival 2009

Congleton Round Table supports the Congleton Food and Drink Festival 2009 which starts on the 21st June with events all around Congleton. The Beer Festival will provide a suitable high point to end on!

The week will kick off on Sunday 21st with the town centre buzzing with a day of activities, festival food and farmers' market, demo delights, cook-offs and competitions in the town hall, 'Eat Your Art Out' arty stuff for kids, music and street entertainment.

Throughout the following week there will be all manner of food related activities including wine tasting, special themed meals in local restaurants, a wild food forage and Beartown Brewery tours. So if you have an idea for a food related event or project for the TastyTown Week - let them know.

But it's more than a week's festival of fun and frolics. The festival's theme will be 'seed to table' and to develop this idea we have started to involve all sorts of groups and organisations like the Bromley Farm Community Centre and their new allotment venture. We have started to build relations with local farmers', farm shops and local produce outlets. We are developing ideas for sustainable community supported agriculture and healthy eating options.

Dazed and Confused

Dazed & Confused are returning to the Beer Festival for a third year, and are delighted to bring their own take on good time rock and pop classics to the good people of Congleton once again! Those who have seen us before will know that it's all about keeping moving - because if we don't we'll seize up!!

The line up is now pretty settled, although it has changed from last year - the guitar giant that is Frank Witt is still ripping it up although, unfortunately, his fellow axeman Andy Smith has a family engagement, and so cannot be with us this year, but Storm Brewing partner Dave Stebbings will be providing able support on acoustic guitar and vocals. The back line still has Storm Brewing's master brewer Hugh Thompson thumping his drums, and we are delighted to have our own "personal Jesus" Matt Johnson on bass - how he fits his musical commitments around his religious ones, we'll never know (you'll have to see Matt to understand this!). Paul Morrissey and Chrissie Cooke remain on lead and backing vocals - they continue to strive to make themselves heard above everyone else - and sometimes even manage it! Completing this year's line up is our old friend and colleague Paul Hambley on keyboards; Paul played with the band for a couple of years, and now makes periodic guest appearances to stop his fingers seizing up - we're delighted to have him with us!

So, relax (but not too much), jump up and down, swing your pants, do whatever makes you happy and enjoy the Dazed & Confused party!

Challenge 21

The Beer Festival supports the Challenge 21 scheme. If you are lucky enough to look 21 or under, you will be asked for ID by the professional door staff on duty. See the Pass Scheme site for acceptable forms of ID.

Under 18s will not be allowed in the bar tent during the afternoon session.

Under 18s will not be allowed on site at all during the evening session.