The weekend saw a unique event take place on Northampton’s Racecourse just outside the pavilion.
Promotion was quite underground: word of mouth, Facebook, an article in the NQ, a broadcast on community radio and Bill Pollard in The Lamplighter with a makeshift megaphone fashioned from an old gramophone speaker.
He devised The Lightning Bolt drawing World Championships – a chalk doodling contest with distinguished judges.
He takes up the tale himself:
When an internationally acclaimed artist whom you have had no prior contact with accepts your invitation to be a judge at your ridiculous event, you are winning.
As no one else was daft enough to put their hand up and say I’m running the Lightning Bolt Drawing World Championships, I had to resign myself to offering that opportunity to others, as it would seem to be bad form to contrive and compete, no matter how dearly you crave that title.
So it was offered, and 83 people took to the pavement and did their best. The panel of judges (two of whom who had been struck by lightning, Ms Nicky Hyde and Mr Chez Williams) took the whole thing incredibly seriously and were guided in artistic merit by the artist Death Spray.
Honourable mentions and worthy winners were all applauded, Ms Daisy Kay achieving third place, Mr Dale Gasson in second and Mr Sam Payne heralded as the world champion.
A smashing Sunday on the park, indulging in pure nonsense with the opportunity to win the title of world champion, and as stated already, the title may not be mine, but I’d already won.
Dave Ikin took the following pictures:
