Followers of Rupert 2012
The Followers of Rupert Weekend 24th & 25th August 2012
The ‘Rupert Fair’ has become a pleasurable annual event for Stella & Rose’s Books - we have been attending as book sellers for as long as I have been involved with the business! The weekend consists of a meal for club members on the Friday evening followed by a full day of activities on the Saturday and a Gala Dinner in the evening.
As a Rupert collector I always enjoy the day and it’s a chance for us to meet old friends, find some new ones and hopefully sell a few books! For the last few years the event has been held at the excellent facilities at Warwick School. We are based in one of the school halls, along with another 10 or more dealers selling all manner of Rupert books, toys, pictures, models, badges and other Ruperty paraphernalia.
Generally Cliff and Chris bring books, shelving and other necessary odds and ends from Stella Books in Tintern and Maria and I bring books from Rose’s in Hay-on-Wye. We always set the stall up on the Friday so it is a fairly early start from Hay for us to pack the van and get to Warwick for 12 noon - just in time to wander into town for a light lunch.
Setting up the stall doesn’t take too long - Cliff and I do the ‘labouring’ whilst Maria and Chris agonise over the best way to organise the hundreds of books! A couple of hours later we are all done. Maria and I have recently bought a small campervan and were eager to try it out so we then headed off to find our campsite - a very nice field in the middle of nowhere with just a few sheep for company!
Saturday we arrived at the school at 8am to do a last few bits of preparation. We had bought a computer with us which needed setting up. This allows our customers to view all our stock including other subjects they may be interested in. It also gives visitors the opportunity to view our specialist Rupert website, www.rupertannuals.com, which lists all our Rupert stock as well as providing lots of information on collecting and identifying Rupert books. Thankfully we can get a 3G internet signal at the school - so my first job was to plug in laptop and screen and hang the 3G dongle out the window on a long USB cable! With everything set up there is just time for a quick wander around the other stalls to see if there is anything I might ‘need’ to add to my collection.
Doors open at 9am and there is a bit of a rush as everyone does a quick tour of all the stalls looking for a bargain or that last item to complete their set. After the initial rush we quickly settle into our normal routine: Cliff and I stand at the front of the stall, chatting with customers and helping them to find what they’re looking for; Chris and Maria make sales and do the invoicing. Just by the entrance there is a stall selling coffee and bacon sandwiches so soon it’s time for a mid-morning snack!
Stuart Trotter (the new Rupert artist) has attended the fair for the last few years and spends the morning signing Rupert annuals. This is one of the highlights for me - picking up my new annual and queuing up to get it signed. Stuart is always very friendly and happy to spend a few moments chatting about the new annual.
12 noon is lunchtime so it’s over to the school canteen for lasagne and chips (or cod and chips if you prefer!) followed by a delicious rhubarb and apple pie with cream. Stella & Rose’s Books sponsor the Junior Follower’s painting competition and when Stuart Trotter has judged the winners of the first prize, Cliff and Chris are asked to judge the second place winners. This is always a difficult task as the entries are of such a high standard!
The afternoon events take place in the school theatre opposite the hall. This is also where the ever-popular Origami workshops are held.
The first item on the agenda is the Annual General Meeting with news on how the club is doing and what it has planned for the coming year. The most exciting news is the launch of the new Rupert Follower’s website - www.rupertbear.co.uk. Then, as usual, there are number of speakers on various Rupert topics and, as in previous years, younger members put on a superb Rupert play with stunning costumes. This year we were entertained by The Great Barloni with his Magic and Mystery show, Howard Smith (author of the Rupert Dossier) and a Terry Jones film ‘The Rupert Bear Story: A Tribute to Alfred Bestall’. The only item I managed to attend this year was the magic show which was excellent - I thoroughly enjoyed it!
Around 4pm it’s time to start packing up. An hour or so later we are all set and say our goodbyes before heading for home. 2 hours later we arrive home – a little exhausted but already looking forward to next year’s event!
(Published 20th Apr 2016)
