WEIRD WEEKEND 2014

Remember kids under 16 (no matter how much they consider themselves to be sophisticated adults, they’re still kids to me) get in for free If you get there early enough there is free alcohol on my lawn on the Thursday night and because we are worried about childhood obesity we are doing our best to help; there is a cake eating competition for the kids on Saturday afternoon. If you don’t take advantage of this fantastic offer you are even madder than I am...

All sorts of exciting things are happening at the Weird Weekend this year.  And whereas a lot of the things that you all enjoy will remain the same there have been some changes.  The first, and biggest, is that after having done the food almost since we started holding the event in Woolsery, and raised a lot of money for the village children’s charities, Sharon Bennett and her friends have stepped down.  This is nothing to do with the CFZ and we are all still friends, but is to do with internal village politics with which I have no intention of getting involved. I hope that Sharon and Simon will still come to the cocktail party.  They have both sent their good wishes, not just for the event, but to all the people with whom they have made friends over the past years. The food over the weekend is now being done by The Small School in Hartland.  The Small School has a long tradition of providing organic catering services.  The school itself is a charity, providing a unique independent education for 11-16 year olds, attracting many who have been failed by the mainstream education system or require an alternative approach to their learning.  The school thrives on creating a sense of community among all who are involved and has proved to be an extremely supportive environment for children and adults. We also have the return of an old friend of us all, the legendary Hunt Emerson, probably Britain’s leading underground cartoonist of the last half century.  He has been to the Weird Weekend a couple of times, either as a punter or as my personal guest, but this time he is presenting an exhibition about Fortean themes in alternative comics. Remember, he has been Fortean Times’ house cartoonist for more years than I care to remember. Another completely new attraction is live music from the inimitable Miss Crystal Grenade who channels the zeitgeist of her alter ego – an existentialist Victorian artist, and freak show performer with a peculiarly deformed hand… The year is 1892, the place Victorian England. Dim gaslamps lend a cobwebbed ale house a sepia glow. The sound is dull murmurs from blunt mouths, the scent unwashed sweat and sawdust. In the back room of the bar, a strange performance is unfolding, one of horror and beauty as yet to come... Singer, pianist, freak show personality and melancholic muse, Crystal is a woman wading through existentialist dreams whilst living hand to mouth. Born with a rare hand deformity that statistically makes her one in a million and logistically means a life of peculiar charm, Crystal scrapes a living through song and chance. In a world where the past is revoked in all its putrid glory, she clings to piano keys with all seven lucky fingers whilst opening the emotional floodgates. A voice of gentle pain or unapologetic rage, her honesty shall ever prevail. Join her in the search for salvation.   Tickets for this year's Weird Weekend are now on sale. So far confirmed for this year's event are: Nigel Mortimer: Opening Portals Ronan Coghlan: Bogus Bibles Lee Walker: Urban Legends of Liverpool Lars Thomas: Tales from the CFZ Laboratory Jon and Richard: Introduction to Cryptozoology Nick Wadham: Alien Abductions Tony Whitehead (RSPB): O.O.P birds Carl Marshall: Out of Place animals at Stratford Butterfly Park Judge Smith: Survival after death John Higgs: Chaos, Magick, and the band who burned a million quid Richard Freeman: Tasmania 2013 Expedition Report Matt Salusbury: Baron Rothschild's Deinotherium caper C.J. Stone: a MODERN King Arthur Results of nature walk (Lars/Nick) Ronan Coghlan: The Amphibians from Outer Space Jon Downes: Keynote Speech PLUS Miss Crystal Grenade The CFZ Awards Silas Hawkins Raffle Kids Nature walk with Lars and Nick Kids Mad Hatter's Tea Party Speaker's Dinner at the Community Centre and of course: The Tunnel of Goats The event takes place from the 15-17 August this year in North Devon. Find out more HERE.Tickets are available at a special discount price of £20/head for the whole weekend as long as you buy them in advance. Buy online HERE. The tickets for this year's event are selling, slowly but surely. However, it would be much better for my blood pressure if they sold a little faster. So, ladies and gentlemen; do your bit to save my arteries...