Dorset steam fair

27th - 31st August 2008
 

The Dorset steam fair is in it's 40th year this year and I’ve visited every single one. Each year I’ve seen it grow in size to become the biggest of it’s kind in Europe. A wonderful celebration of the golden age of steam. I never lose interest as there’s always something new to see and the organisers manage to bring something fresh to the event each year.
As usual, I didn’t manage to see the whole show –with over 600 acres packed full of machines, people & animals, it’s almost impossible to cover everything. So these photos are just a snippet of what appears on site. A lot of the people camping at the showground arrive on the Saturday before the official Wednesday start date, some travelling several thousand miles to get there, and stay through to the Sunday, making it a full week’s holiday of steam entertainment. For many agricultural groups & clubs, such as the Young Farmers, the Dorset show is the highlight of their calendar & they arrive in force to enjoy the different bands laid on in the beer tents each day and evening, the bars & the social life. For the older generations it’s a chance to wallow in nostalgia. For those of younger years it’s an education –a fascinating insight into a way of life they’d otherwise only read about in history books.
Yes, I’ll be there as usual next year for the 41st.  

-Chevy Rick