Blairgowrie & Rattray Hub Magazine Summer 2023

BLAIRGOWRIE TOWN HALL
We’ve had a very busy time with entertainment
events at Blairgowrie Town Hall recently, in
addition to our everyday bread and butter
bookings. From Leonard Brown, McDougall’s
Magic Circus and Jane McCarry back in April
to Blairgowrie Players, the Budapest Café
Orchestra and Paul Riley in May. It’s good to see
the facility is being well used again.
June brings more events to Blairgowrie: Guide
Dogs have their Table Sale on Saturday 3rd,
we have Ready Steady 60’s Show with us on
Friday 9th, Mary’s Meals Coffee Morning on
Saturday 17th and the Desperados (a fabulous
Eagles tribute band) on Friday 30th. The Ericht
Art Exhibition is with us on the weekend of
24th/25th June.
July sees the first of, hopefully many, ‘Blair Live’
events, organised by local Andy Sinclair, on
Saturday 8th. Dundee band Tequila Rose will be
playing at this licensed event. There are plans
for further events in September and November
in the pipeline. Get your dancing shoes on
and come along! Strictly over 18s. Blairgowrie
Rotary Club also have a Charity Shop 14th –
16th of the month.
August sees Blairgowrie Players back at the
Town Hall with a new Murder Mystery on
Sunday 13th and Rattray Arts Festival will
be around for much of the latter part of the
month.
Tickets for many of these events are available in
Mitchell’s Newsagent, check out our Facebook
page, the noticeboards outside the Town
Hall and advertising around town for further
information.
We are delighted that we will be closed the last
week of August as we are installing new LED
stage lighting, bringing safer, more effective
and energy efficient options within this area.
We just have to learn how to work them
thereafter!
You can contact Blairgowrie Town Hall by email
on enquiries@blairgowrietownhall.co.uk or by
telephone on 07938 039479. Booking forms for
the hall and more information on events can be
found on www.blairgowrietownhall.co.uk
Blair
Ukes
The ukulele group has enjoyed a remarkably
successful spring season. We now have 22
regular members and a short waiting list of
people who would like to join us. This was
rather too many players for the room we were
using upstairs at St. Catherine’s Community
Hall. However, we have now found a new home
with a bit more elbow-room at the Life Plus
Church Hall in William Street. The group meets
there every Monday morning and occasionally
adds a ‘jam session’ for the keener strummers
on a Wednesday evening.
Most of us are still quite inexperienced, but we
are all having fun, really enjoying the sounds we
can make together, and our skills are gradually
improving. The group has now performed quite
a few local ‘gigs’ which mostly seem to be going
down quite well. These have included visits to
the Friendship Café, the Stormont Lodge care
home and Alyth Women’s Institute, among
others. We were also guests at Ballintuim’s
Coronation celebration and will be playing for
various other groups in the near future. Hope
to see you there!
Much of the group’s success can be credited to
our leader – Jane Ward – who devotes so much
of her time and energy to Blair Ukes. We thank
you ‘wonder woman’! Her email contact, if
anyone needs it is: janewardm@gmail.com
Thanks also once again to Sam Stewart and
the BRDT for their help in funding our recent
purchases of 2 ukes, 2 music stands and some
other equipment.
To seek inspiration for improved performance,
and just to have a good night out, some of us
will be going to see The Ukulele Orchestra at
Perth Concert Hall on the 21st of May, which
should be great fun.
Keep on strumming, folks!
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