Penistone Parade
Penistone has had an annual parade for as long as I can remember and it is always well supported.
It might have started by following on from the popular Whitsuntide
parades which fizzled out over time. In those days, Whitsun Parade would start in Penistone and finish at Millhouse
Green, with a massive turn-out. Everyone would join in and walk for at least part of the way. Many younger paraders were in fancy dress and it was huge fun for the little ones.
Penistone Parade route has varied over the years but gradually become shorter as time has gone on. Twenty years ago, Penistone Parade went along High Street, down Green Road (as in the picture below) to Spring Vale and up Sheffield Road. That's quite a long way for the little ones. Another route went through the council estate of Victoria Street and Ward Street, down to Green Road, etc. Yet another included a loop down Church Hill and back up Shrewsbury Road.
In these mollycoddled days, the parade travels a shorter circuit. After the floats have been judged at the Showground, it sets off down to Bridge Street bridge, up past the British Legion and a large swathe of cheering crowds and flag wavers on Market St and High St. Then it tootles past the Library and the Youth Club (Surf & Snack Shack). Then the floats, horses, cars and bucket shakers wheeze their way up Clarel St. At the top, they turn right and make their way around to the easy downhill run of Bluebell Ave and Park Ave to re-emerge on High St by the Co-op. Then they retrace their steps through the throng of High Street, down past the British Legion and back up to the Showground.
They rekindle cheers from the bleary masses on Market Street, who are by now are all holding glasses of beer and seven sheets to the wind. Past the Legion again and back to the Showground to be judged by the mayor at the Gala. Now that Penistone has a mayor, the parade is now called the Mayor's Parade by some and the Lord Mayor's Parade by others.
Penistone Gala
Penistone's Gala has a much shorter history than the parade but has proved to be very popular. After the mayor judges the parade, there is always some sort of entertainment; such as a motorbike display team, tugs-o'-war, sheep shearing, dog handling or the fire service doing their stuff. Sometimes there are helicopter rides as well but not for the last couple of years. It is always worth a visit to Penistone on parade day, if only to see what we look like and take pity. The pubs will be at bursting point. Now take a look at
recent parades and galas:
Old and New
With the pre- 'compensation culture' of 1974, you could not stack any more kids on
trucks if you tried. That thinned down the audience because there were more participants
than watchers. The view is on Green Road, right at the bottom of Ward Street, looking towards Rose Hill. This picture was kindly supplied by Paul Fieldsend.
The 2003 picture (middle) had the mayor leading the parade and this has become the usual routine. Cllr Hichliffe (rhs) was the mayor of 2005 and showed her great sense of fun with Roger and a grandfather clock in a Citroen 2CV. Roger is the one at the back.
