Back to School? Better Go Back to Buttercrane!

While kids are enjoying the summer, parents are forward planning for September – don’t worry you can get everything you need in one trip to Buttercrane Shopping Centre, in the heart of Newry.

From school uniforms to shoes, sports gear, school bags and stationary plus free children’s eye tests – M&S, Dunnes, Primark, Clarks, JD Sports,  Louis Boyd, ShoeZone, Easons, Intersport,  The Works and Specsavers have it covered. With 1000 convenient parking spaces and lots of coffee shops including T2 Restaurant, M&S Café, Subway, Costa and now Greggs – there are plenty of refreshment options.

Make sure you enter our special Back to School promotion to win a Superhero Party at home with your purchases from 1^st August. Simply spend £20 or more on School items, and bring your receipt to the HELP DESK to enter our prize draw*(T&C apply).

If you are looking for a great day to bring the kids to Buttercrane don’t miss our KIDZ FARM visit on Mall on 12-4pm Saturday 29^th July – where you can see alpacas, goats and lambs, rabbits, giant rabbits, ducks, chickens, snake, bearded dragon, hedgehogs and you can brush the guinea pigs!

www.buttercraneshopping.co.uk for more details

Summer Music in the Park, this Sunday 6^th August will play host to the fantastic sounds of The 19^th Street Band.

This County Down/USA Duo are often compared to Johnny Cash & June Carter with their chemistry and stage presence as they tend to captivate audiences just by being themselves. Having fun and keeping it real. Making sweet, simple rock and roll. The two combine their instrumental talents with strong harmonies and high energy, bringing genuine joy to the show and instantly connecting to every audience.

The 19th Street Band has had the privilege of sharing the stage with country music stars such as Rodney Atkins, Craig Morgan, and Chuck Mead. Check out their new original album, The Things That Matter, released in March 2017.

Grab your friends, family and a picnic blanket and head down to Ward Park to listen to great tunes on a Sunday afternoon between 3-5pm.

This is a FREE event.  Please note that Ward Park is an alcohol-free zone. All events are weather dependent and therefore subject to change. This year’s music programme is in association with Open House Festival.

Lookout in local press each week for details on each artist or for more information phone Bangor Visitor Information Centre on 028 9127 0069 or visit visitardsandnorthdown.com

The annual Musical Theatre workshop, ‘Showstoppers’, is back at The Market Place Theatre in Armagh!

 

Why not make good use of the holidays to learn or perfect your skills in acting, singing and dancing. Over the course of five days a professional director, musical director & choreographer will work with you on scenes, songs and dances from some of the most popular musicals around, before you perform ‘Showstoppers’ on The Market Place’s Main Stage in front of your own live audience. Believe us, it’s the best fun the summer can be!

 

The workshop will run from Monday 14^th to Friday 18^th August from 10am to 4pm daily. The performance will take place on Friday 18^th August at 7.30pm. Participation in the workshop is £68 for the week, or £100 for 2 siblings from the same family. The workshop is suitable for 12-18 year olds. Participants should wear loose clothing & trainers and bring a snack & drink.

 

And to keep up-to-date with the latest news at the Market Place Theatre, you can follow us on Facebook (www.facebook.com/marketplacearmagh) and Twitter (www.twitter.com/mptarmagh) where you will find all the latest information, special offers and video previews.

 

Hundreds of local people are preparing to help deliver or participate in this year’s Open House Festival Bangor, which gets underway on Tuesday 1^st August.

The town will host 141 events in 42 venues over the 31 days of August, with around 400 local musicians, actors, authors, chefs and artists, 120 local businesses and almost 100 volunteers contributing to this year’s festival.

As well as local acts, this year’s programme includes a diverse line-up of national and international artists, such as up-and-coming singer-songwriter, Nadia Reid from New Zealand, and Portishead’s Andy Smith.

In the first week, two Irish literary heavyweights, John Boyne and Bernard MacLaverty, will be visiting Bangor – John to chat to the BBC’s Marie-Louise Muir about his latest stunning book, The Heart’s Invisible Furies; and Bernard to launch his first novel in 16 years, Midwinter Break, already tipped to be the masterpiece of his career.

The first of 50 music events in the programme takes place on Friday 4^th August when Blunt Fringe perform their musical revue, Me & Kate Bush, at the Marine Court Hotel.

Now in its fifth year, the Bangor festival kicks off with a special public event: Creating a Creative Town. Panellists include local entrepreneur and founder of Copeland Gin, Gareth Irvine, author, columnist and broadcaster, Ian Sansom, Bangor resident and CEO of Museums NI, Kathryn Thomson, and designer and social design guru, Wayne Hemingway MBE.

“We’ve been committed to the concept of creating a creative town – essentially regenerating Bangor through arts and culture – for quite some time now,” says Festival director, Kieran Gilmore, “and it’s becoming clear to us that many other people who live and work in Bangor have the same objective. But creativity isn’t exclusive to the arts – it extends to so many other businesses and industries, from food and drink to ICT and retail to housing. This public meeting is for everyone connected to Bangor who is a creative thinker, regardless of their occupation, and wants to contribute to the creative regeneration of the town.”

As an extension of the Creating a Creative Town idea, 120 local businesses, from pubs to printers, and butchers to boutiques, have signed up to be a Festival Friend, offering a range of deals and discounts to ticket holders throughout August.

“All of our festival friend venues are getting a complimentary pack that includes hand-made bunting, window stickers, posters, and post cards,” said Kieran, “so the town will look vibrant and colourful, reflecting the festival spirit.”

Almost a third of this year’s events are free, from the popular Sundown Market and Bluegrass Picnic, to the Sunday afternoon sessions in the Rabbit Rooms, to a lunchtime lecture in Ward Park on the life of NI suffragette, Winnie Carney.

“The Festival attracts more and more visitors with each passing year,” says Kieran. “Last year we welcomed over 30,000 people to the town, 46% of whom were from outside of Bangor, and 4% from outside of Northern Ireland – and the estimated economic impact was £1.1m We’re confident the numbers attending this year will be even higher, and the impact on the local economy even greater.”

Many events have already sold out, but there is still plenty of availability and lots of opportunity to grab a slice of the festival atmosphere. “This festival has made the people of Bangor proud of their town again,” says Kieran. “They want to be a part of it; they’re proud to say ‘look what we have here, look where we live – isn’t it great!’ The sense of ownership the festival brings is very real, and extremely contagious!”

Terence Brannigan, Tourism NI Chairman, commented: “Tourism NI is a proud sponsor of Open House Festival. This unique, home grown festival will bring Bangor to life this August with visitors entertained by a programme packed with unique, engaging, quality events. Events such as the Open House Festival are firmly established within our tourism fabric, adding value to the positive perceptions and profile of our destination, and have been recognised as having an important role in contributing to the economy. As we anticipate the fantastic festival ahead of us, I wish organisers, sponsors and attendees the very best for what I am sure will be another

Maria McAlister, Traditional Arts Officer at the Arts Council of Northern Ireland, commented: “With its eclectic range of music, visual arts, literature and family events, Open House Festival has firmly established itself as an annual summer highlight.  The Arts Council is delighted to support this terrific festival which demonstrates the power of the arts in bringing people and communities together as well as being a tool for economic regeneration.”

Mayor of Ards and North Down, Councillor Robert Adair, said: “Ards and North Down Borough Council is delighted to be supporting the festival for the fifth year running. As the festival grows it continues to bring an eclectic mix of both local and international artists to the area. I wish the festival every success in the season ahead; I am thoroughly looking forward to experiencing all that this years’ programme has to offer.”

Open House Festival Bangor 2017 is supported by Ards and North Down Borough Council, the Arts Council of Northern Ireland and Tourism NI.

For more information and tickets, go to www.openhousebangor.com

 

With still three weeks to go before the Causeway Coast Truck Fest a massive 400 trucks have already registered to appear at the event on Sunday 20th August.

 

“Never in our wildest dreams did we expect the event to become this big in only thee years and we couldn’t be more delighted” a spokesman told us.  The event, which is free to the public, raises funds for charity and this year monies raised will go to the Air Ambulance.

Country stars Gary Fitzpatrick, Alastair Coyles and The Simple Truth Band are performing with headline act Lee Matthews.  Once again Brian Moore will act as linkman and Compere and says of the event, “I’m involved in a lot of events but the way this one has grown took me totally by surprise”.

Danny Coyles of the Anchor Complex which is one of the sponsors said, “Who would have thought that such an idea would rocket into such a mammoth attraction and it’s such great fun for all the family.  We’re very proud to have been involved since its inception and wish everyone involved a great day”.

The trucks depart the paddock for a circuit of the NW200 course at 4.00pm and if this event keeps growing it looks as if the NW200 will have to make the course longer!

 

The Causeway Coast Truck Fest takes place at the NW200 paddock outside Portstewart from 10.00am on Sunday 20th August.

Following a tense battle on Friday 28^th and Saturday 29^th July at Strabane’s Alley Theatre, the five final acts in this year’s ‘Sounds Like Summer Music Competition’, will take to stage for a final performance, this Saturday, 5^th August.

Eleven acts performed over the weekend to a panel of judges in bid to take the coveted prize – the chance to record an EP of their own original production at Small Town America Records and a chance to have their own video produced by The Pulse Centre. There will also be a runner up prize in honour of the late musician ‘Rainy Boy Sleep’.

On Friday 28^th July, local musician Glen Harkin took the top spot alongside singer songwriter Chloe Heatley, who will be known to those who follow the Pulse Project and open mic nights at Bennigans and The Bowery, in Derry.

The competition continued onto Saturday 29^th July where Strabane local, Ruairi McCafferty of ‘Aeon Azure’ project ‘Great White Lies’ and another Strabane native, Liam Cannon were selected to compete in the finals this coming weekend at the Alley.

Jacqui Doherty, Venue Manager at the Alley Theatre said: “I would thank to thank all the acts who took part over the weekend. It was such a difficult competition to judge as the level of talent was amazing. The competition attracts high quality acts year on year. We have previously had high calibre acts such as Soak, Gerard i2, Rainy Boy Sleep, The Wonder Villains, Paul Tully and King Coma join the competition and I expect great things will come for the overall winner.

“We are all looking forward to the grand finale this Saturday at the Alley and I would recommend anyone looking for tickets to get theirs as soon as possible as it’s certain to be a sell-out night!”

Tickets for the final of the Sounds Like Summer Competition, which will take place this Saturday 5^th August at the Alley Theatre at 8.00pm, cost £5.00 and will be available from the Alley Theatre Box Office on 028 71 384444 or online www.alley-theatre.com.

 

The Dirty Onion hosted its first Pooch Social on Sunday 30^th July in aid of local charity, Lucy’s Trust.

 

Over 200 dogs and their owners turned out for the quirky event, which featured a range of stalls offering doggy treats and canine crafts. Vendors included Murphy’s Barkery, Frozzys frozen dog yoghurts,

Natural Raw Feeding NI, Bistro 4 dogs, Colourful Collars, Hiker Hounds NI Paws for a splash and Weecat glass art dog treat jars. Guests enjoyed live music from The Russian Dolls, alongside a BBQ serving up hot dogs alongside their four-legged friends.

Funds raised at the event will go to Lucy’s Trust, a dedicated NI charity that helps dogs in need, providing interim care and rehoming for ex-working dogs, Staffies, behavioural cases and dogs that require long-term vet treatment. Picture by Pete Laverty.

A mixed bag of weather couldn’t keep the crowds away from Party In The Park.

Now in its sixth year Antrim Castle Gardens was transformed into a festival of fun for the whole family.

The Water Zorbs and Boat rides on the Long Pond proved a big hit with the children, whilst over in the main field music lovers were entertained by Indie Band ‘Ports’ and Headline act, Ireland’s No1 Elvis Tribute, Ciaran Houlihan. A sea of umbrellas and complimentary ponchos kept the crowds dry as they sang and danced away as the bands rocked the stage.

Deputy Mayor, Councillor Vera McWilliam commented” It is fantastic to see the crowds here at Antrim Castle Gardens for Party In The Park. The inclement weather has not dampened the spirits of the people who have travelled here today. The entertainment for both children and adults is outstanding and it great to have this event in our Borough”

Scientific Sue and her Magic bubble show, Crazy Golf and the swing boats attracted large crowds in the Parterre Gardens and the beanbag cinema and indoor arts & crafts were a relief when the rain did eventually appear.

A vast array of culinary delights in the food fayre ranging from Sunday Roast to finger licking chicken kept the crowd’s energy levels up, allowing them to Party more. Overall Party In The Park was a great day of free family fun.

Would learning to balance plates, juggle and baton twirling be an activity you would like to get involved in?

If so, an afternoon of circus fun will take place at Flowerfield Arts Centre on Friday 11^th August.

Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council’s Art Outreach Programme have teamed up with Streetwise Circus in developing the Aurora Circus Project.  The project aims to offer people from marginalised groups including older people and people living with disabilities or mental health problems, the opportunity to learn new skills, meet new people and above all have fun.

The project is funded by the ‘Spirit of 2012 Challenge Fund’. Its vision is ‘people empowered to get out, be involved and feel better’.

The Circus workshop will take place at 2.30pm on Friday 11^th August followed by a performance at 4pm with Jim and Dr Nick.

Accompanying the afternoon, an exhibition from Council’s Arts and Older People Outreach programme will be on display at Flowerfield Arts Centre. Featuring mosaic and textiles, the art work is from courses that took place in Ballycastle and Cushendall with artists Louie Winward, Helen Byrne and Jackie Dougan. The exhibition will be available to view from Friday 11^th August until Saturday 19^th August.

All children must be accompanied by an adult and admission is free. For more information please contact Flowerfield Arts Centre on 028 7083 1400 or visit http://www.flowerfield.org/