1.    Music Festival


2.    Galleries Night
 

3.    Wild babies at Woodlands
 

4.    First ever Penguin Blog
 

5.    Small News
 

 

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1.    Music Festival

Dartmouth has just witnessed the best Music Festival ever!  With over 110 performances covering everything from classical to rock, and everything in-between, there was never a dull moment.  As usual it was impossible see everything we wanted, but we had a good time as these photos show.  There were many moving moments from 59 Ford's rendering of The Shadows Guitar Tango to Glorious Chorus all dressed in red. How many performers did you see?  Dartmouth dot TV would like to especially thank The Royal Castle, Browns, and Wildfire for their exceptional hospitality and taste in music.  Music Festival marks the start of summer for Dartmouth, and what a start!

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2.    Galleries Night

This Friday 23rd May will see nine galleries having an open evening starting at 6:00pm, although we suggest you come at 6:30 'ish? 

With wine and nibbles, and more art than you can throw a stick at, this will give you the opportunity to buy some new pieces to replace any tired old 1984 prints you may still have? 

Buying modern art is satisfying and every time you walk into the room it will fill you with joy.

Coombe Gallery will be holding a limited group exhibition exploring the human form and our sense of identity in the current digital age. The exhibition will open on Dartmouth Galleries night, 23rd May 2008, along with the other galleries in the town and will finish on 24th June 2008.  Whilst some of the artists will be concentrating on portraying the human form purely as a subject matter in its own right, other artists will be making sense of our current identity.
Trish Tomas will be showing her "Water Colours" collection of hand made jewellery.  Throughout the world, the making of beads has been a highly-valued skill since ancient times. Techniques invented by the Egyptians and Romans are still in use today and, for centuries, many have remained closely-guarded secrets. But it's not only beads you will see!
Simon Drew will be exhibiting his own inimitable work with guest artist David Clevery who moved to Devon 28 years ago and started making pottery at Haytown. Here he first made a range of brown domestic earthenware with modelled sprigging. David began making larger figures in 1992. Now the figures have taken over almost completely, with a proliferation of historical and mythological characters and their creatures.
Contemporary art gallery Baxters in Foss Street has just launched a bright, new and funky website showing the wide range of artists, including local artist Simon Hart, click here to visit.  Baxters was established in July 2006 when Sarah Duggan took over Hartworks.  After too many years of saying "one day I'll own a gallery", Sarah decided that Dartmouth and Baxters would be where she would enjoy life and her passion for the arts. The gallery has a wide range of affordable art ranging in price from £20 to £2000 and the Devon and Cornwall coastline is captured by many of the artists.  Other work reflects a subtle sense of humour of the quirkiness of animal life as shown here.

To see all our art galleries click here, and why not come down for a few days?

Self catering accommodation click here	Dartmouth B and B  click here
Dartmouth Hotels click here	A Tourist Guide to Dartmouth click here

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3.     Wild babies at Woodlands

A pair of wild Canada Geese flew into Woodlands two months ago and have decided it’s the best place to set up home and start a family. There is a beautiful, quiet and secluded lake at the bottom of the 80 acre park which is earmarked as a conservation area where wildflowers proliferate; do the geese choose that lake? No! they prefer all the fun of the Bumper Boat pond where the brightly coloured boats bump around the pond next to the massive Sea Dragon Swing Ship.

The four goslings are quite convinced they are the main attraction for the visitors, although the Oxford Sandy  Berkshire piglets just born are so cute that children can be seen running from one to the other in delight, all the rides and playzones taking second place. Click here to visit their website?

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4.    First "penguin blog" hits cyberspace

Politicians are doing it, pop stars are doing it - and now penguins are doing it. Everyone, it seems, is blogging.

Ping the African penguin is the first penguin to enter the blogosphere.  Ping is penning regular updates about life, love and the pursuit of fish from his pad at Living Coasts, Torquay’s coastal zoo.  His thoughts are being posted regularly on the charity’s newly re-launched web site, click here to read the blog.  Life’s a beach on the English Riviera. Ping spends much of his time on his own private beach or in the pool, hanging out with friends, eating fresh local fish and being waited on hand and webbed foot by his keepers. Occasionally, he and the other penguins go for a walk around their waterside home to mingle with the tourists.

Fame runs in the family, as Ping’s grandmother is Pat, who made national news earlier in the year when she celebrated her 30th birthday as the world’s youngest great grandmother. Ping’s parents are Olive and Fergus, both well known characters around Living Coasts.  Ping is cheeky, inquisitive and confident. Hatched on 25th August, at two he is now a young adult. He hangs out with the juvenile penguins – including female Poppet and males Shadow and Pip - and has not quite managed to move out of his parents’ place yet, but he is now looking for romance.

Living Coasts is big and modern, the Dartmouth dot TV crew visit every year!  You don't need children and it is always a great day out.

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5.    Small News

• English Wine Week. From the 24th May – 1st June Sharpham Vineyard will be celebrating English Wine Week with eight other Devon vineyards. Each vineyard will be offering tours and tastings and fun packed entertainment, click here to find out more.  Now in its 3rd year, the Devon Vineyards have put together a unique trail guide. Visitors can now experience a truly educational visit, both in the vineyards and the wineries, at Devon’s top vineyards.  Of course, you must include our local vineyard, Sharpham, visit them now by clicking here.
   

• We just couldn't resist these two burgers on Music Festival Friday from the Wildfire Bistro, click here to see why we liked it so much? Beyond the exquisite beer was the beautiful river and the brightly lit Higher Ferry.
   

• Is it time to book your holiday in Dartmouth now? 
   

  Self catering accommodation click here	Dartmouth B and B  click here
  Dartmouth Hotels click here	A Tourist Guide to Dartmouth click here

   

• Images copyright Dave Cawley, & others.