30.07.25.
15th European Convention
Today (14th July) was time to wrap up the 15th European Convention in Prato. There was the passing of the pineapple, accepted by Stefan Schiessl of the Flying Elephants Tent in Germany. So it seems that the 16th European Convention will be in Bremen and will be hosted by several local tents.
Also seen here is Allesandro Santi of the host tent, Teste Dure (Blockheads). What a lovely man and a great host. Hats off to him for packing so many good things into the convention. We then had lunch and what a surprise! There was a huge cake baked with the convention logo on top. The cake was consumed in a very civil fashion, quite the opposite of the mayhem with the custard pies yesterday! Maybe we should be called 'The Sons of the Dessert'!
Phil Soltan on Facebook
Laurel and Hardy Museum in Solingen
There is a lovely clip of the Laurel and Hardy Museum in Solingen at
https://www.rtl.de/rtl-west/dick-doof-schaetze-in-solingen-id6529882.html
The museum is the brainchild of Wolfgang and Vera Günther.
Forum Cinema in Hexham
We held our third annual big screen event at the Forum Cinema in Hexham on 19th July. 140 attendees including the Mayor of this beautiful little town, enjoyed a programme - ‘Marriage’ which featured ‘Blotto’, ‘Helpmates’ and ‘Sons of the Desert’.
Vice Sheik Peter performed his repertoire of card tricks and our raffle and souvenir sales boosted tent funds by almost £250 - taking care of August’s charity contributions.
We’re already looking forward to next year’s event.
Mike Jones on Facebook
After the Laughter
We just wanted to say a huge thank you to everyone who has purchased one or several copies of our long-awaited book / DVD set titled "Stan Laurel & Oliver Hardy - After the Laughter", which has finally been released this June, on Stan's birthday, after having been in the works for about seven years.
Many people have written to tell us how pleased they are with the final product, how impressed they are with the book's size and the sheer volume of information and images it contains. Of course this is most gratifying to us, because we weren’t sure how our work would be received by fellow fans and authors, being quite different from most other books about "the Boys".
It is most heartwarming to receive so many congratulatory messages after all our hard work, dedication, and perseverance simply because we are so happy and proud of our beautiful book and DVDs, which finally shed light on the "forgotten" (mostly overlooked) years of our comedy heroes, while also harking back to their glory days from the 1920s and 1930s where appropriate.
Didn't buy a copy yet? Don't worry, it's not too late! The book / DVD set is still available to order through https://www.laurelandhardyafterthelaughter.com/shop/book/stan-laurel-oliver-hardy-after-the-laughter-book-dvd-set
Michael Ehret, Nico Cartenstadt and Tyler St. Mark
Hog Wild Tent folds
The Hog Wild Tent of Bishop Auckland has folded. It was founded in 1994 by Grand Sheik Stan Patterson and was run latterly by Grand Sheik Tony Hillman. Achievements included the placing of a statue of Stan Laurel in Bishop Auckland.
We wish Tony a happy and long retirement.
Annual event
Also well worth a listen is Annual Event.
Click on https://www.facebook.com/hardaywigan/videos/1271477541212700
Kneesy Earsy Nosey song
What do you get if you cross Bucks Fizz with Black Lace? You get the best song since 'Agadoo'!
"Kneesy Earsy Nosey"
Gary Winstanley on Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/watch?v=1827798364745849
Great artwork
This is just one of a series of great drawings by Darrel Bevan.
Newsreel clips
On the weekly newsletter of the Beau Chumps Tent, Mike Jones mentions a collection of rare clips of Stan, Babe and the wives at various locations in the UK in 1947 and '48.
Them Thar Hills Tent of Carlisle
Live Ghost Tent of London
...and finally
From Stephen Barlow
