Different varieties of cherry at the fair
When: 17th July 2016, 10am – 4pm
Where: Brogdale Collections, Brogdale Farm, Brogdale Road, Faversham, Kent ME13 8XZ
£: Tickets in advance cost £7.20 for adults, £6.30 for concessions, £3.60 for children, and £18 for a family. The car park is free
What is it?
Brogdale in Kent will be holding a Cherry Fair on Sunday 17th July 2016. Family entertainment will take place throughout the day.
The Cherry Fair’s quirky highlights will include a Cherry Pie Eating Competition, and the Longest Cherry Pip Spit contest. The pie eating competition will involve trying to eat a cherry pie in the quickest possible time. The pip spit game will involve trying to spit out a cherry pip. The longest distance recorded will win.
Cherry Pie Eating Competitions will be held for both adults and children. Competitors can sign up on the day and the adult contests will take place at 11am, 12pm and 2pm. The children’s pie eating will take place at 11.15am, 12.15pm, and 2.15pm. There is no additional cost to take part in the games.
The Cherry Pie Eating Competition
Brogdale is the home of the National Fruit Collection. It holds around 400 different varieties of cherries which range from black, red, pink, yellow, through to white. Visitors will be able to taste different varieties and purchase some rare varieties to take home.
Visitors will also be able to meet some beekeepers. The beekeepers will be bringing along a ‘live hive’, so everyone can see and learn about bees, as well as local honey.
Other talks and demonstrations will include the history of cherries, how to choose a tree, and a brewery talk.
The fair will also offer the chance to take a walking or tractor-trailer guided tour. The tours will take place throughout the day and can be booked upon arrival at the fair. The tours will journey around the collection with a knowledgeable and friendly guide.
Children who bring along a pop bottle will be able to take part in the Cherry Rocket Launch. Decorate a bottle, attach a cherry, and launch it into the air. Rockets will be judged on whether the cherries have survived the flight, along with how well they are decorated.
The Cherry Pip Spit
Other entertainment at the fair will include falconry displays, archery, cookery demonstrations, live music, kids crafts, face painting, kites, and teddy bear parachuting. The live music will come from Jumbo Gumbo and the Carter Burton Jazz Band.
Visitors are welcome to bring a picnic, alternatively there will be local hot food stalls, and a courtyard café. Why not sip a refreshing Cherry Pimms from the summer bar?
In addition to the fair, Brogdale has a garden centre and a marketplace of local shops.
Brogdale’s fruit collection contains a wide variety of apples, pears, plums, quince, nuts, currants, and medlars, in addition to cherries.
Brogdale will also be holding a Plum Day in August, a Pear Day in September, and an Apple Festival in October.
More info: brogdalecollections.org