Showers fail to take shine off Keiss carnival

KEISS Gala was as busy as ever, though the weather had people running for cover on Saturday to keep out of the rain.

The family event was held last weekend with all the usual attractions proving very popular and many people turning out to support the cause.

One of the big crowd-pullers was again the It’s a Knockout competition.

The winning team was the South Keissers made up of Pauline Gibson, Emma Fishenden, Ian Fishenden and Jordan Kennedy.

Gayle Ross, vice chair of Keiss Hall Committee, said: "The competition is done in memory of a local lady, Yvonne Ross. She lived in the village and her family donated a shield when she died to be given out every year. It’s always a member of her family that presents it.

"The tug-of-war was also very successful and we always have a ladies section, one for the men and one for the kids. That shield goes to the winner of the men’s competition though.

"It’s always the Uppies versus the Doonies, and this year the Doonies won. James Davidson was their captain and he was presented with the shield by gala princess Emily Lowe."

The gala kicked off on Friday night with the crowning of the queen, a crab race and a horse race.

Saturday saw the baby show, pet show and It’s a Knockout, and the big dance was held in the evening.

Sunday opened with the kids’ fancy dress competition and car treasure hunt. Then the tug of war and kids’ races were held.

Ms Ross said: "Saturday night wasn’t as busy as normal, but that’s because of the weather.

"It didn’t bother us terribly over the weekend, but on Saturday we just kept on taking shelter in the hall. It did hamper us a little as we weren’t able to put up the bouncy castle.

"On the whole, I think it all went really well and was quite successful.

"Next year, we’re going to try to pull the date forward a bit to the beginning of July. It’s always been held in August, but we clash with the Wick gala and the Mey Games. Wick gala had their big fun day on the Saturday, which could have affected the numbers of people that turned up to us.

"We’re also going to try to get more independent people in to run things for us because we don’t have enough hands on the committee.

"We just want to try to attract people and will now have a think about whether we’ll have any new events for next year."

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