THE year 2006 promises to be another successful one for Alton Initiatives Management (AIM) Ltd with plans for an even bigger and better calendar of town centre events. Starting with a civil war weekend and ending with another bumper Christmas market, this year's programme will also include a July food festival starring TV chef and cookery writer Sophie Grigson. The AIM events season will get underway on the weekend of April 22 and 23 with a two- day civil war extravaganza featuring infantry and cavalry soldiers from the English Civil War Society. There will be staged skirmishes and demonstrations in the Market Square, at St Lawrence Churchyard, on Flood Meadows and outside the Curtis Museum. The churchyard will also provide the backdrop for a living history village with the church itself providing the venue on Saturday evening for a performance of Col. Bolle's Cantata, written by Martin Read, head of music at Alton College. Local schools will be involved in talks on the history of the civil war and there will be a colouring competition and heritage trail leaflet for children sponsored by the Newbury Building Society. Saturday, June 24, will see the return of the highly popular "Alton in the 1940s" event organised in conjunction with the Mid-Hants Watercress Line's "War on the Line" weekend. Re-enactors from miles around are expected to flock to the Market Square and High Street which will be filled with civilian and military vehicles and '40s music. Delta FM presenter Paul Le Feuvre will provide the PA and the Langstone Big Band will be back, by popular demand, to provide a repeat performance of last year's foot-tapping extravaganza. The Alton Food Festival will make its debut on July 1. Run in conjunction with Hampshire Fare and sponsored by local company Inter Group Insurance Services, the food festival is expected to be a winner. Town Initiatives Manager Vernon Pearce is excited by the opportunity to run a regional event and to have obtained the sponsorship of Inter Group. He told The Herald: "The sponsorship has enabled us to book Sophie Grigson, one of Britain's best-loved cookery writers and TV presenters, to do a cookery demonstration. The High Street and Market Square will be packed with local food and drink producers and there will be lots to taste!" The popular "Live in the Square" music festival will be held on Saturday, July 22, with an opportunity for people of all ages to sit out and listen to a wide range of popular music in a pleasant market town environment. The Herald Classic Car Show makes a return to Alton on Saturday, September 30, when the Market Square will be packed with classic cars from the '30s through to the '60s and toes will be tapping to a "trad" jazz band. This year, the event is being expanded to include a rally that will start in Four Marks and end with a grand parade down the Crown Hill end of the High Street and into the Square via Market Street. On the same day a French Market will fill the High Street with the smells of freshly-baked bread and crepes and a wealth of colourful stalls selling everything from olives, garlic and cheese to continental jewellery, clothes and leather goods. The French Market will be one of many to appear in the High Street at regular intervals during the year. As well as the introduction of a more varied programme, the other major difference will be that this year's events are to be staged on a Saturday. Vernon Pearce explains: "The events programme is designed to boost business for shops, pubs and restaurants in the town centre and this year we have listened to local business owners and are holding most of the events on Saturdays instead of Sundays. Alton Town Council also organises the Hampshire Farmers' Markets in the Square and concerts in the Public Gardens, so there will always be a good reason for coming to Alton at weekends." l There is still time for local businesses to sponsor these events and anyone interested should contact Vernon Pearce on 01420 473613. Details of all the events and those of other organisations in the town can be found on - http://www.altonevents.co.uk">www.altonevents.co.uk
