HugoFox.com News

The local communities in and around Overton are gearing up for one fantastic event this summer – no, it’s not the jubilee or the Olympics – the show that everybody’s getting ready for is Overton’s famous Sheep Fair. 

If you stand in the middle of the Hampshire village of Overton and turn your head slightly into the wind, you can hear it: it’s the distant and ancient rumbling of the sheep drovers who are bringing their flocks to town for the quadrennial Overton Sheep Fair. It used to be hundreds of sheep; now it’s thousands of people who are ready to be part of this amazing community celebration.

It might be a good few months until the 2012 event kicks off over the 14^th and 15^th July, but plans are well and truly in full flow. There’s already chatter about the theme ‘Celebrating an Era of Change: 1940-1952’ and villagers are aiming to outdo the costumes and the festivities of 2008’s event, which focused upon the works and era of Jane Austen.

Dating back to 1246 when sheep were driven from across the district to be seen and sold in Overton, the tradition of the sheep fair got a new lease of life for a new century in the year 2000. This time, Overtonians are determined to keep it going, and with extra vigour.

Winchester Street in the town centre is effectively closed off for the duration and the village will come alive with stalls, colourful processions, music and a great carnival atmosphere. With this year’s theme focusing on 1940-1952, there’s a strong wartime slant and there’s already a call for photographs, ration books, letters and old records that will form part of a major exhibition during the fair.

The famous Sheep Fair tea-cloth competition is also taking shape. People have until the 1^st April (no joke!) to get their drawing of a sheep in. Entry forms are available from Overton Fireplace Shop or The Overton Gallery. It’s a chance to have your own artwork immortalised on the commemorative cloth for 2012. The best 130 sheep will make the final flock! The money that’s raised from selling the cloths at the fair will go towards Water Aid and an Overton charity.

Local businessman Michael Thompson told HugoFox News:

“The Sheepfair provides us with a unique chance to step back in time, celebrating a traditional event right in the middle of rural Hampshire. Villagers put a great deal of thought and effort into their costumes and local organisations queue up to take part in the procession. As sponsors of Overton Rugby Club and connected through our listings site with a number of businesses in the village, the whole team at HugoFox.com can’t wait to see what’s in store this July!”

So why not put the date in your diary and follow the crowds down to Overton village this summer? Villagers and visitors alike are all welcome as part of the flocking masses that make the Overton Sheep Fair what it is: a fair to remember.

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