Why won't Ruthinians get behind community events? Take today's carnival. Fewer entrants than the 2013 relaunch event and with 10 minutes to go there seemed to be more marshals on St Peter's Square than spectators. Things did pick up but there were no ranks of people. It was all rather "thin" in terms of spectators. And floats, too. A fire engine, police car, just two schools with floats, a handful of Toy Story characters, a vintage car or two and a float with a carnival queen or rosebud or some such.
Then on to the field at
Schola Ruthinensis and stallholders were all bemoaning fewer people than anticipated. The public seemed to congregate around the stage. We suspect things may have been busier for a short time at 1 p.m. with the teeny boppers coming to see their hero,
Joe Woolford.
Actually, there were probably more people present than stallholders thought, because the nature of the field means it's all very spread out. Nevertheless, unhappy stallholders will be less inclined to return.
It helped not at all that, this year, Rhuthun/Ruthin and Dinbych carnival committees managed to pick the same day. Traditionally, Rhuthun's carnival was always on an August Saturday. I can understand why the organisers wanted to bolt this onto the Rhuthun festival week but Dinbych's had the same idea (with its midsummer festival). The winner was definitely Dinbych—theirs was lively and busy. Rhuthun's was not. There's a promise of working together next year to sort out the date.
Bought & paid for. "Proud to be supporting *our* community" (emphasis mine)
And, last Saturday's market (on June 20th) was also very poorly supported. This in spite of the market now securing its rightful home on the Square.
