We'll meet again...

That's all, folks, as the original Looney Tunes used to say.
Thanks all round. Thanks to all of you who came and joined in the fun, thanks to all of you who worked so hard to put it on. Thanks to all of you who sponsored us and became patrons, and thanks to all of you who dug into your pockets to help us raise money for charity.
We're not quite sure what will become of Paignton Green between now and August 2012, but we will be back in some form, that's for sure.
Check back here often, because we will let you know how much we raised and for whom, and we will tell you the answers to the quiz. There will also be a slideshow of the best regatta pictures.
In the meantime, here are a few to be going on with...

The busiest day ever?

FOUR marquees and two gazebos went up, but the Tamar Valley Westerners got their tepee up before us.
It was a great day - we had strong men in the Valhalla Show of Strength, the Westerners, a medieval play, all the usual stalls, the owls, the parrots, an amazing dog show with a record 136 entries, Bays Brewery bringing us a beer tent for the first time in years, the round-the-pier swim and live music on the stage.
We have pictures of all these things, but it's way past midnight and all our phones are dead with the pictures on them.
We will upload when things are back to normal.
You need to know that the best dog in show was an Alsatian puppy, the Topsail was a lovely pint, the swim was won by the brilliant Becky Langman ahead of a field that included a man in a mankini who raised £200 for Rowcroft in the process, and the local bands were great.
You can see - and buy - the best of the dog show pictures at JP Hedge Photography
On Sunday we close with another full day featuring sand sculpting, a cream tea, Brixham Town Band, the Taiko drummers and Songs of Praise.
Click the programme top right for more.

Clouds over Paignton

First of all, apologies to all those who came to the Green to see the Parachute Regiment's Red Devils display team in action.
Low cloud meant it would have been unsafe to jump, and the display was cancelled right at the last minute. We were gutted, and we know many of you were, too.
All we can do is to apologise, but you can't beat the weather.
Everything else went like clockwork, though.
The owls and the parrots declared peace on one another and the Torbay Lifeboat looked magnificent riding on the high tide in Paignton Harbour.

Entertainer Dan Brazier juggled fire and dispensed wisecracks from the saddle of a tall unicycle, while on two wheels two of the country's top cyclists made light work of the wind and drizzle during the cycle race.
Tour Series racers Ianto Barker and Chris Opie of the Pendragon-LeCol team wore numbers one and two on their backs, and finished in those positions, having led and then lapped the entire field during an hour of high-speed action.


Barker and Opie crossed the finish line together.
Saturday sees yet more action on the Green, with the dog show, all the usual stalls and sideshows, the Valhalla Show of Strength, Bays Brewery's Bar@The Beach and live music from Lesley Presley, The Accused, Fire For Effect and The Humanitarians.
All that, plus the Round-The-Pier Swim.
Click the programme top right for all the details.

Regatta Committee Man Wins The Mile!

ZAC Warwick, one of our own yellow shirt-wearing regatta volunteers, won a closely-fought Regatta Mile race on the Green tonight.
Multiple champion Pete Monaghan wasn't there to defend his title, but plenty of local runners were ready for a shot at it. meaning we had to run two heats to make sure everyone had a fair race around the tight 200-metre track on North Green.
Just as in 2010 the result was in doubt until the last of the eight laps, with Warwick battling South Devon AC's Tim Hardy and regular holiday visitor Matt Williams.
Warwick powered ahead through the final bend and Hardy overwhelmed Williams in the last 20 metres to take second place. Naomi Flanagan of South Devon AC was the first lady.

From left: Matt Williams, Zac Warwick and Tim Hardy. Picture by Eddie Bairstow
The fastest man over 100 metres was Owen Styler of Torbay AC for the third year running.
There were record entries for the regatta sports meeting, sponsored this year by the Redcliffe Hotel, with strong contingents from hosts South Devon AC and local rivals Torbay AC.
Competition was keen and sporting throughout, and we would like to thank all runners, helpers, supporters and sponsors for their sterling efforts.
Earlier in the day children's entertainers made it a special occasion for our younger visitors.
Tomorrow is another busy day, as you can see from the programme above right. As well as all the stalls and regular attractions, we will be clearing the Central Green for the arrival of the Red Devils. Be there from 1pm for the best view.

Video kindly supplied by www.torbaydesign.co.uk
In the evening the road around the North Green will be closed for cycle racing, with races for youngsters from 5pm and a full-on circuit race for the West Country's best seniors to close the show.

Now the fun really starts!

WE'VE only just begun, as the Carpenters would say.
Thanks again to everyone who came to the fireworks on Tuesday night, specially those who dug deep and put some coins in the collecting buckets. Times are hard, every penny counts, and the local charities really appreciate your efforts.
We have had loads of favourable comments today about the fireworks. If you are planning a display of your own, remember the quality you saw last night from Pains, who have been our suppliers for many years.
A word for the Fleur de Lys Majorettes from Yorkshire, too. They were excellent, and kept the pre-fireworks crowd well entertained. And, contrary to what we had been told beforehand, they are NOT on their farewell tour of the UK. Far from it, so we hope they will be back next year.
Thursday will be the biggest day of the regatta so far.
On the Green there will be stalls, owls, parrots and face-painting, plus a cross-stitching display and workshop.
It's Children's Day on Thursday, so that means the Enjoy-a-Ball workshops plus a teddy bear's picnic with free entertainment.
In the evening, with the fair gone from the North Green, the track will be marked out for the athletics.
There will be races for all ages with the accent on fun, but at 7.45pm it all gets a bit more serious with the running of the annual Regatta Mile.
Multiple champion Pete Monaghan of Torbay Athletic Club (leading in this picture from the 2010 race) will be back to defend the title he has made his own over the years, but host club South Devon AC will be putting some of their young aces up against him, and there is always the chance of an outsider taking the spoils.
If you haven't got a 2011 Paignton Regatta Quiz yet, you can buy one for a measly £1 at the regatta caravan, where you can also have a look at the latest model Honda Jazz, which has been attracting some keen interest.
Also, if he's in residence, don't forget that you can have your gardening questions answered by our resident expert, Topknee Overlights.

A late finish

Forgive us for being a bit brief tonight, but by the time everything was taken down, tidied up and packed away, it wasn't Tuesday any more.
Thanks to everyone who came to the fireworks, thanks to the Fleur de Lys Majorettes and thanks to Pains Fireworks for doing us proud again with an amazing display.

Tomorrow we will tidy the back of the van and clean the sand off the stakes and the rope.
We might also get our resident gardening expert, Topknee Overlights, a new pair of glasses from the 99p shop to replace the ones he broke today and repaired with masking tape.
Thanks again everyone!

Light the blue touch paper...

Well, things have moved on a bit since those days, but the excitement is the same.
On Tuesday night at 9.30pm we will all be going 'oooh' and 'aah' down on the Green like eight-year-olds, because that's when the 2011 display starts.
To get you in the mood, here's a video from the www.thisisdevon.co.uk website to get you in the mood.



There will be some road closures for safety reasons on the night, and a large exclusion area around the fireworks, once again imposed for safety reasons, will be created.
Please be patient and observe the exclusion areas. The fireworks won't start if there are people in harm's way.
In other news, we are grateful to some more regatta patrons who have joined our list of £10 heroes. They are all named a little way down on the right hand side, so please make use of their businesses and services.
There is an addition to the programme, too.
There will be a Tae-kwon Do display on the Central Green on Sunday at 11am. Don't miss it. It was really spectacular last year.