Mere Brow set to host beer festival and pumpkin competition

Oct 11 2012 by Tom Duffy, Ormskirk Advertiser

MERE BROW is set to host a farmers’ festival on Saturday followed by a pumpkin competition the following week.

Inspired by the success of the pint-sized beer and wine festival at July’s Mere Brow farmers’ market, organiser Kelvin Pye decided to create a mini Munich Oktoberfest.

New bitters such as Ruck & Maul and Cyclone, both from Southport Brewery, will be competing with established favourites such as Wild Oat Stout, Dishy Debbie and Ice Maiden from Preston’s Hart Brewery, and Black Canon Stout and Mug Billy from Burscough Brewing Company.

Thwaites Wainwrights and Lancaster Bomber will be served inside Mere Brow’s village hall, while a selection of fruit wines, ciders, sloe gins, strawberry and elderflower vodkas, all from Yorkshire’s Orchard Fruit Wines will soothe more sophisticated palates.

Kelvin said: “Popular demand from our last beer festival has created our Oktoberfest.

“In addition to the beers, wines, ciders and food, visitors will be able to shop, watch two Morris Dancing Teams competing and even admire magnificent hawks at our bird of prey stall.”

Morris Dancing teams Southport Swords and Argameles will compete with each other, while S & R Hawks will provide a medieval flavour of the day.

The Festival is free and also offers free car parking. There are stalls inside and outside the hall.

All enquiries to www.garden-festivals.com and 01704 212 734 (office hours only).

The 2012 Mere Brow Giant Pumpkin competition on October 20 marks the 18th year of the event.

Organisers hope to match the £719.81 raised for the North West Air Ambulance last year.

The pumpkin weigh-in will be held at 1pm at Windmill Animal Farm.

All entries to the giant pumpkin competition must be on site before 12am on the day of the competition and removed from site before 4pm on Sunday. Any pumpkins remaining after this time will be sold off for charity.

The giant pumpkin competition weigh- in will start at 1pm.

The big day features two separate competitions:

1. The NFU Mutual Insurance All England Shield competition, which is open to anybody. The winner receives £50.

2. The Mere Brow and District shield, which is open to local residents within a 10 mile radius of Mere Brow. 1st Prize £50; 2nd Prize £30; 3rd Prize £20.

Entries in the Mere Brow & District Shield are also included in the NFU Mutual Insurance All England Shield.

Free entry for all spectators on the day.