Ma and Pa are pleased to announce that we now have more than 200 subscribers to the little ol’ newsletter from the river, so welcome to anyone who has signed up since the last one we sent. For anyone that cares to read up on what we’ve already been up to this year, all our previous spurts of drivel are available in our archive.
On to more recent matters, namely the second Beeses Beer Festival. This was so successful that on Sunday morning Pa was touring the farm shops of north Somerset to replace the cider that had been guzzled the previous day, and the splendiforous folk of Bath Ales were delivering fresh supplies of ale to Beeses so we could ensure the tea boat crowd wouldn’t go wanting (we all remember the pork scratching riots of 1982...).
As
you can see from the
enclosed picture, no expense was spared on providing a quality festival
experience, and who knows, we will probably have gert proper glasses next
year! We promised to donate half of the proceeds from ticket sales
to the Friends of Troopers Hill and Friends of Eastwood Farm community groups, and we were very
pleased to hand over £500, so hopefully we will see that back in
sales of sticky buns...But a big “thank you” must go out to the Beeses staff, most of whom worked ten and twelve hour shifts on successive days, and without whom none of it would have been possible. If you came down at any time during the festival you will have seen how hard they worked, and Ma and Pa are grateful to them all. Thanks also go to Jonathan, Carol, Ben, Matt, Charisse, Pete, Mike, Mandy, Mark and Sher for helping us out at various times. You can see more pictures of the festival in the Beeses photo album.
So, with the end of the season in sight, how can we possibly top that? Well, here’s how we’re trying:
Friday 5 October - Richard Riley Band
Richard Riley first became known to us as a regular at the open mic nights. It turns out that he has performed with artists as diverse as Natalie Imbruglia and Marc Almond. His band marries acoustic rock with electronica in a satisfying mix - rich with references to every genre and musical style. For the listener this brings to mind artists such as Daryl Hall, Christopher Cross, The Waterboys, Pink Floyd, David Gray, Rickie Lee Jones and The Beatles. Entrance is free - as usual, although we will be passing the hat round. You don’t know you’re born...
Beeses Quiz Night – Tuesday 16 October
Come and test yourself against Professor Kev Beeses’ questions! All the usual favourites: a picture round, a music round, plus general knowledge and one or two cryptic items. Teams are also welcome to put their own quiz together.
Beeses Open Mic Night – Thursday 18 October
Beeses’ open mic nights are hosted for us by the The Willbees, veterans of Bristol’s folk and roots scene, and all are welcome to participate, or else simply listen. Come and heckle Richard Riley for not playing Tainted Love a fortnight earlier, then sit back and nurse your jaw shortly after it has hit the floor from hearing the voices of people like Keri, Dympna and/or Diana (do these people have surnames???). Simply marvellous.
Drink Beeses dry – Friday 20/Saturday 21 October
This will be our closing weekend, but rather than make you drink out-of-date stock next Easter, we’ll be selling it at reduced prices on the last weekend of our season - but once it’s gone, it’s gone! The ferry will operate for free all weekend, so come and help us see out the season with a bang.
Lurve
Ma and Pa Beese
Beeses Bar & Tea Gardens
www.beeses.co.uk
www.myspace.com/beeses
Tel: 0117 977 7412