Catterline Gala

Karaoke, cowboys and carties combined to create a memorable gala in Catterline last weekend. The few occasional showers were not enough to dampen the spirits of the villagers as they enjoyed three days of fun and festivities from Friday night’s “Talent in the Tent” through to Sunday’s renowned Catterline Cartie Challenge.

“Talent in the Tent” – an informal evening of quizzes, karaoke and dancing - kicked off the festivities and gave young and old a chance to relax and have fun. The kids delighted by MC Tommy as he distributed sweeties and glow sticks while the grown ups sampled the real ales provided by CAMRA award winning landlord of the Creel Inn and the Marine Hotel, Robert Lindsay.

The theme of Saturday’s Gala was the Wild West, with the eye-catching “Catterline Saloon”, created from materials kindly donated by Deeside Timber, providing the perfect backdrop to the Northern Roughriders as they delighted the crowds with their displays of gunslinging and bar room brawling while the brave or foolhardy tried to stay atop the mechanical rodeo bull generously sponsored by Petrotechnics. The day was brought to an end with the spectacular Lucky Duck Chuck which sees 500 plastic ducks fired from a medieval catapult, followed – to the delight of all the children – by hundreds of sweets.

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Catterline Gala Weekend kicks off at 7.00 pm on Friday 13th June with "Talent in the Tent 2.0 ". Yes - talent night is back again, but with a twist... this time there is no need to prepare and practice !!! Dancing, singing and a brain teasing fun quiz is on the menu along with snacks and drinks for the kids and real ale and wine for the adults. This year's family talent night will have quizzes, kids disco (and adults later) and… yes Karaoke for everyone (who wants to).

The Northern Roughriders will be coming to the rootin' tootin' Catterline Gala on Saturday 14th June - a hootin' and a hollerin' and tearing the place up. There will be gun fights, bar-room brawls and all manner of wild west themed fun and games, so why not mosey on down and join in! Try your hand at rodeo riding on the Petrotechnics Bucking Bronco, or alternatively just come along and enjoy all your gala favourites.

And finally, come along on Sunday 15th to enjoy the thrills and spills of the fourth Catterline Cartie Challenge. Another record entry means we'll have 25 teams battling for the honour and glory of raising the Connons Shield, and with some teams travelling hundreds of miles to take part it promises to be the best one yet.

Evidence of Catterline's growing reputation on the world soapbox cartie stage was dramatically demonstrated today with the announcement that world famous racing car manufacturers Ferrari will be entering a team in this year's Catterline Cartie Challenge.

They have been keeping a close eye on developments in soapbox design and have seen the recent successes of teams such as Lotus and Honda in other events. A spokesman said "We have noted with interest the improvements that some of our rivals have achieved in handling and aerodynamics, not to mention the increased bravery of their drivers, and we attribute this directly to their involvement in events such as the Cadwell Park Gravity Festival, the Belchford Downhill Challenge and the Goodwood Festival of Speed. We have decided to compete at Catterline in order to make sure we develop our skills in all areas of our sport."