The 2017 Farmyard Party was held on Friday 16th to Sunday 18th of June (or from Thursday 15th for some) at Duncombe Park, Helmsley. This year, we were blessed with hot and glorious weather all weekend (and it must be about 10 year plus since we last had weather like it). Happy rally goers were cooling themselves in the stream that runs through Helmsley, and it's a good many years since we have witnessed that. Blooming marvellous.
The rally itself was a bit of a cracker with quality entertainment in spades.
We of course had our now legendary Friday morning pilgrimage to the Royal Oak, then onto the Helmsley Brewery for multiple goblets of foaming ale.
As most of Wakefield MAG were in the Blues tent marshalling at some point over the weekend, we were pleased to report that the first band on each night had the place rocking - Atlantic 45 on Friday covering 70's disco anthems .... sounds a little bit dodgy but they were very good and had the dancefloor (grass ;-) packed.
The second band, The Konks (Kinks tribute band if you hadn't guessed) were technically and acoustically very good (close your eyes and it could be the real thing), didn't quite gel with the audience (not much patter and obscure songs from albums), but it made for a very easy 2nd half to the marshalling shift.
Saturday's custom show, which was marshalled by Steve and Justine was a big one, as not only were 6 FYP Show trophies up for grabs, but also a further 5 trophies for the 3rd round of the BSH Magazine Custom Bike Building Championship (the eventual winners, as well as basking in all that considerable glory, also get to show their bikes at the November NEC bike show). And if that's not enough, a further trophy was presented by the Rock & Bike Fest guys (plus free tickets to said event). Oh, and Bulldog Bash tickets were also given the the FYP Best in Show winner, and a 100 quid cash prize - no wonder the show was popular !!!!
A new attraction for this year were the legendary Purple Helmets, all the way from the Isle of Man. The bikes were crap (Honda C90's), the stunts were daft, the corny jokes and sexual innuendo were constant, but they are highly entertaining and there is real skill in what they do (as well as sore testicles when it doesn't go to plan ;-)
The guys performed for nowt to support MAG .... well, it cost MAG their ferry tickets and beer .... and given the quantity these guys can sup, we may as well have paid them ;-) Seriously though, huge thanks for supporting MAG and it made a great spectacle at this years FYP.
Saturday nights Blues tent band 'The Paddy Maguire Band and Jenna Hooson' put on a fantastic set, most of it unrehearsed, but it worked really well. In fact, the second band on were also reportedly really good .... we wouldn't know, we were in the Main Arena watching the AC-DC tribute band.
What more can we say .. not a lot really. We all had a brilliant weekend in the company of our Wakefield MAG extended family, and all our other good friends from Yorkshire MAG and beyond.
Bravo.