Middle-earth Weekend 2009

Lose no time to pencil into your diaries the dates of 16th and 17th of May 2009. This is when the Middle-earth Weekend takes place at Sarehole Mill, The Shire Country Park in Hall Green, Birmingham, England. The weekend is open both days from 11-00am until 5-00pm. Admission is free. Parking is available nearby for £1.
This will be a very special year for this unique event, since it will be the tenth anniversary of the weekend that began in 2000. This has grown year by year, both in visitor numbers and in the number and variety of exhibits and activities, ever since.
In 2000 it was called ‘Fun at the Mill’, it then became the Tolkien Weekend and finally the Middle-earth weekend. The volunteer organisers of the weekend are now doing detailed work on the event and are meeting to work through new ideas for the annual festival at Sarehole Mill celebrating the life and work of world famous author and local resident JRR Tolkien who as a child lived across the road from Sarehole Mill.

The Middle-earth weekend attracts over 10,000 visitors each year from far and near. It brings together local residents and community groups; Birmingham City Council; Shire Productions Drama Society; Hall Green Residents’ Association; Hall Green Library; the Tolkien Society; Sarehole Mill Museum; The Shire Country Park Rangers; the Birmingham Poet Laureate; environmental organisations and many other involved groups.
The theme for 2009 will be ‘Exploring Middle-earth’. The site and events will be themed to fit in with the geography, peoples and cultures of Tolkien’s Middle-earth. There will be the ever-popular traditional items such as dramatic presentations of Tolkien-related themes; local environmental and archaeological guided walks; displays and information; historical re-enactments; arts and crafts; local historical displays; demonstrations; booksellers; Elvish and Rune lessons; war-games; poetry and prose readings; an award-winning Farmers’ Market; archery and of course food!

There are also children’s activities; bus tours to sites of local Tolkien interest; costume competitions; quizzes and games; swing-boats; donkey rides; a Tolkien related climbing wall and numerous other attractions that are in process of being booked. It is hoped to have even more exciting and adventurous experiences for fans and visitors who enjoy a festival with a distinctly 'old-fashioned’ air about it.
Once in Birmingham, there are good connections by rail and bus to Hall Green and there is parking nearby for those arriving by car or coach. If you would like further information on this year's intriguing Middle-earth Weekend, in the tranquil settings of The Shire Country Park, please contact Hall Green Library on 0121-464-6633 or Sarehole Mill Museum on 0121-777-6612 or check out the website of Shire Productions at:

http://www.shireproductions.co.uk/

So do come along and see the surroundings (not to mention some of the characters who apparently can still be found there) where Tolkien's concept of Middle-earth began!