G.Knowles's video: Great Dorset Steam Fair August 2018 first day of the 50th Anniversary Blandford Dorset 1

This Steam Fair which has been held every year since 1968, when it was established. The venue is enormous and takes a great deal of energy to walk round the whole site, be warned. There are people carriers ( a tractor and trailer ) that can transport you around the show ground if you don’t feel like walking everywhere. I have covered this event in 2013 / 2014 and again in 2016.. The 2013 visit was a hard work for me after having open heart surgery that year. Having taken the decision to visit the 50th year show in 2018, I set off at 08.30 am from home. It was a bit of a gridlock around Blandford I had never seen it so bad this year. I think it was caused by the stewards not doing there jobs first thing as the traffic moved very little in one hour around Pimperne. I guess it was inevitable being the 50th Anniversary show. The new Day Car Park was a long walk from the show ground, around 30 minutes and therefore 30 minutes back to the car. There was no way in at 10.00 am unless you walked along the main road, only to be told we could not proceed by Security. I told them to get their act together as we were told what to do by the car park attendants. On the way home a gate had finally ben undone to allow a safer return to the car park. No Zone Signs had been laid out so many people returning to their cars were searching a long time to find out where their car was parked. The people queuing to get in was a bit disorganised you had to go to the front of the queue to find out which line you had to be in, it would have been better to have the same signs at the start of the queue. It was a bit of a shambles with the organisation at first. But so many people had turned up for the first day event. Inside a new layout caused some wandering about but they had many maps about the place to double check where you were. It was the final showing of the World One layout and display and they had made it much better this year. For me personally it was a tiring day out but that’s only due to getting on in years and the sun coming out and vastness of this show. The actual show was good value there was so much to see and so many different food stalls that must have satisfied everyone. The only thing that spoilt it for me was the lack of knowledge of many of the stewards and Security people but I guess that was to be expected on a first day of this vast show ground. Steam engine exhibits, vintage vehicles, heavy shire horses and rural crafts are on dsplay here each year. Working rural displays on a 600-acre site including old time steam funfair. Widely recognised as the leading event of its type in the world with over 2,000 exhibits, 800 trade stalls and over 220 full size steam engines. The show ground is one of Europe's largest outdoor event locations. For the first 15 years of its existence the steam fair then known as the Stourpaine Steam Fair ~ was held at Stourpaine Bushes, then in 1985 it temporarily moved to nearby Everley Hill.. In 1988, after 3 years at Everley Hill, where access by large crowds was difficult, it moved to its current permanent home at Tarrant Hinton, north of Blandford Forum, where access is vastly improved. A great attraction at the show is the display of traction engines and steam rollers performing the work for which they were designed. Such displays include heavy haulage, threshing, sawing logs, ploughing and road-making. The main arena of the show is purposely sited on the slope of a hill to allow both steam- and internal combustion-powered machinery to demonstrate their capacity for heavy load hauling. One of the main displays is the ~ Showman's Line up, in the vintage fairground section, which is thought to be the largest collection of showman's engines in the world. With 1,000 trade stands, 2,000 exhibitors and their families, together with our campers on the public campsites ( 5,000 caravans and tents ) it is estimated that the population living on-site amounts to 25,000 people at any one time. The food sold here is from all over the world and people can sample the delights of culinary delights from sausage rolls to Thai cuisine. The 2018 Steam Show will be its 50th Anniversary