Village Mentality 2011
Helping the spirit of the village fair live on in one leafy corner of Hackney, head to the Village Mentality area on The Village Green for a fantastic mix of traditional side stalls inspired by country pastimes and wholesome fete games. 2011 sees some new additions and old favourites taking place – making Village Mentality a bit like a Royal Wedding
except a) it’s salt of the earth b) it doesn’t cost very much c) it’s not televised. There will be teatowels though.
On the Village Green – hosted by the infamous Bearded Kitten fresh from their Glastonbury extravaganza The Bull Ring is :
Blindfold Sweetcorn Husking Championship
Scone Throwing
Vegetable Discus
Broom Sweeping Slalem
Pull the Short Straw
Apron String Shuffle Race
Human Wheelbarrow
Tug of War hosted by the official Tug of War Association
Plus old favourites such as the Egg and Spoon, Three Legged , Watermelon Relay Races and lots lots more
Check out the village fete stalls where activities include the well-loved Tombola, a nostalgic Duck Shoot, Splat the Rat, Lucky Dip, Coconut Shy and Bowling for Bacon
Dalston Darling’s official Women’s Institute are taking over the Village Green tent.- expect lots of cake plus something a bit different as Field Day are pleased to announce fashion icon Fee Doran AKA Mrs Jones will be on site to help Sort Yourself Out Love – created by event organiser Kelly Love , Hair Mistress Victoria Saunders and Fashion Designer to the stars Mrs Jones, Field Dayers will be able to pop in to SYOL for a quick dynamic festival restyle by this crack creative team : then join in the themed Dalston Darling’s W.I tea party – Alice in W.I. Land.
For liquid refreshment check out the Real Ale Tent and the Pimms Bus
Plus Ping Pong from East London based Young Offenders Institute
Find out about wild fruit growing near you from Hackney Harvest and The London Orchard project stall
All this accompanied by strains of modern classics from The Farnborough Concert Band of the Royal British Legion on the Village Green Bandstand.
If you have an activity you’d like to suggest for the Village Mentality area email your suggestions to villagementality@googlemail.com
Coconut Shy
A coconut shy (or coconut shie) origins of the game are unclear, although the term is first listed in the Oxford English Dictionary in 1903. The word ‘shy’ in this context is a colloquial English term, meaning ‘to throw’ or toss.
One theory (Harries, 2004) suggests the coconut shy may have originated at the Kingston, Surrey , annual Pleasure Fair in 1867 when that event took place on the town’s Fairfield, not far from a coconut fibre mill on the Hogsmill river. The Surrey Comet reported how “for the small sum of one penny, you could have three throws with sticks with the prospect of getting a cocoa nut…”. The coconuts could have come from nearby Middle Mill that advertised in the Surrey Comet as “The Patent Cocoa Fibre Co Ltd the only cocoa nut fibre manufactory in Surrey. All descriptions of mats in cocoa nut fibre made to order wholesale.” Today the only reminder of Kingston’s association with coconuts is a pub in Mill Street, which was the principal route between Fairfield and Middle Mill for several centuries. Called “The Cocoanut” it is not only spelled the old way but it is the only pub in Britain with that name.
