Tuesday, July 09, 2013

Nairn market Sat 20th July – “It will be like a Nairn version of Rockness, except it's free”

The Gurn managed a word with market organiser Michael Green yesterday and he was enthusiastic about the music element of the coming event. He told the Gurn: 

“I think the biggest difference over the old markets will be the music component.

 We have seven different bands all through the day at the Royal Bank corner, plus traditional folk jazz and Scottish music at Castle square.

It will be like a Nairn version of Rockness, except it's free!”

And there is a promise that the community can have input into shape of future markets in the town. He added:
“We will have a ANB meeting after the Market where people can come along and have their say and how they would like to see it develop.”

A regular market would certainly be a feature that would help bring a bit of life into a town centre which has been performing reasonably well in the face of adversity in recent years but is now, according to some, once again on the slip. Thus, Iain Bain returns to the theme of the town centre in his editorial this week. Well worth a read of the Leopold Street Thunderer if you haven’t secured your copy yet. He says among other things:

“We have always reckoned that a proportion of commercial properties in Nairn High Street would be empty at any one time and that there would be ongoing “churn” which would see them come back into use. Right now the place seems to be hit for six by a combination of retirement and recession.”

The organisers of the street market and businesses in the town centre will be hoping for a boost from the market in less than two weeks time. Here’s hoping the current spell of good weather continues right through until the 20th.

9 comments:

Rock on said...

"It will be like a Nairn version of Rockness, except its free!”

Ha, ha. Has to be the quote of the year thus far.

Graisg said...

@ Rock on - Don't worry about a thing. Mark Hudson will be there. Worth the effort for a walk down the street just for him.
Here he is earlier in the year at the Castle Lane gig.

Graisg said...

@ anon 14.58, thank you for that comment - it would upset too many people however.

tent peg said...

I take it Michael Green has been to Rockness?

Anonymous said...

How can this be compared to RockNess in the slightest? Nothing similar between the two...

Anonymous said...

Markets are better if the stalls present are different from what's being sold within the shops on the high street. In the past it was more like town shops coming out onto a stall in the street for the day, rather than touching on the creative skills within the community selling something different. I do hope this idea would be considered this time, that's what can make markets a success.

Rock on Tommy said...

Man, I'd say looking at the line up of artists and the fact that the High St is closed to traffic all day that this is more like Glastonbury rather than Rockness.
I even bet Michaels on the phone right now trying to book the Stones for next years event

Feck's sake said...

That's right, a chance to fill the town up for the day with big spenders from Inverness and beyond and all people want to do is take pot shots.

Band it said...

That's great news that Big Spenders from Inverness are going to play, they're a great band. Pot Shots are a bit iffy but I know they draw a good crowd. A battle of the bands methinks