The official open of the event as the car arrives through the main park gates with the Festival Queen Megan Storr her attendants and Mayor Cllr. Carol Williams followed by the Armthorpe Brass Band. Festival Organiser Peter Best takes to the microphone, then hands it over to the Mayor Cllr. Carol Williams to declare the event open at 11.00 am

What a contrast! The same deckchairs billowing in the wind as a thunderstorm approaches the park on Sunday 1st July. The Summer Festival saw the change in the weather as sunshine and a few fair weather clouds brought in hundreds of visitors to the park to be entertained by stage shows, live musical entertainments, the fair ground, the many charity stalls, Classic Car display and taking us further back in time the Wild West encampment, and the Medieval Village plus the many other attractions. I think the stage compare Gary Magic/Puppeteer created a bit of magic guaranteeing that the sun shone both days and since! At last the fine Summer weather is back.

For weeks now we have worked hard to operate the trains during the terrible weather of the last few months. The Thursday working group struggled in the pouring rain to make a start at fencing off the railway tracks. What a relief it was when the weather changed on the Friday enabling the marquees and all the work undertaken in fine and sunny weather. I think Friday 27th was the start of the change in the weather. The sun shone brightly on both days of the event and brought in the visitors to the railway which kept our resident steam plus four visiting locomotives and the groups two big electric locomotives very busy. The model tent was also a hive of activity, especially on the Sunday when the children had a chance to operate one of the "00" model layouts. It was very tiring work with a great deal of behind the scenes activities to keep the trains operational and as last year we left the taking down of the marquees until Monday, finally locking the park gates at 4.30 pm   

The sun helped to bring out the colours of the costumes of the dancers that appeared on the Bandstand Stage. There was something for everyone and all ages during the two days. The only down side had been the canceling of the Rotary Stage due to the area due to part of the access area for the trailer still being waterlogged. 

A new attraction was miners not for coal but for gold. A unique and attraction for 2007 with a small settlement that included many items on display having being acquired from America. A great deal of interest for the visitors was an authentic bedroom set up in one of the tents. Displays of cooking by the miners wives looked delicious.     

No event would be complete without the fun of a fair and once again Tuby's Fair was combination of Modern Rides and older traditional stalls, a chance for the children to win a Goldfish, whilst the more daring could sample very popular Hollywood ride. I had thought it might be possible to get some views from the top, but thought better of it perhaps another time. 

More and more events see the many hours of work by car enthusiasts put into the cars we so fondly remember from our younger days or the cars that our grandparents used when the roads were much quieter. It was pleasing to see even more of these cars on display this year.