The Haddenham Steam Rally Committee were well and truly committed to running the 2008 event, despite the appalling weather forecast for the weekend of the show. Inevitably, there were some absentees in all sections but as we recorded a few years back, the public will still come out to look at what’s on offer. That said, the field was in as bad a state as I’ve ever seen it in the 16 years I’ve attended as an exhibitor, and just as it was drying up, the heavens opened on Sunday afternoon.

What was noticeable this year compared to the last inclement weekends of 2004 & 2005 was that exhibitors seemed resigned to the fact they would need towing out and were not in a mad rush to make a run for it. Indeed, the Chelsea tractors were getting stuck sooner or later if they were towing anything heavy. However, with plenty of larger modern tractors to hand for towing duties and professional stewards to drive them, we didn’t even have to wait for a tow because as soon as I was hitched up around 5pm, the tractor was backing up to attach the strap to the front of the van.

Enough of the weather, what was there to see? Well, most of the steamers seemed to have pulled on before the ground had deteriorated too much, as there were only a few atop the hill on what’s normally the low-loader park. There were fewer showmen’s again this year, but that apart, a representative mix of makes and styles on show.

You know it’s going to be bad when you meet a tractor lad going home on the Friday afternoon, and it was noticeable that there were several people who didn’t bother to unload their tractors off the lorries. However, there was still a good selection of machines around the field and on the drier Saturday afternoon, some threshing and baling was even possible.

Cars and commercials were noticeably down and with deep liquid mud on the approach track, the former were not too keen to get their pride and joy all dirty. Not surprisingly, there were a number of Landrovers on show but anywhere they could go, so could the 1916 Model T Ford van, or so it’s owner claimed. With a little site clearance from a JCB, the commercials did manage to parade on Sunday afternoon before the weather turned.

There were not quite so many stationary engines as usual, but to coin a phrase, most of the usual protagonists were there. We tested out the Tangye compressor purchased a few years back, and although it performed well and generated a lot of interest, it wasn’t quite problem free. We have a suitable trolley in mind for it to go on, which will make the set-up to the engine simpler.

Most of the traders anticipated were in residence, but there seemed to be a surplus of food outlets to my mind. Does the show really need three different purveyors of fish and chips? The last arrival of the trio decided it didn’t and departed the site on Friday evening, and was probably glad they did. The hog roast was moved from its usual position near the ringside but seemed to be doing steady rather than scintillating business despite being surrounded by mud near to the secondary exhibitors’ entrance.

As far as entertainment went, the Pauline Reader Dancers did a show on Saturday evening but I was told that the bar shut early, which is very unusual. The same stage was to be used by the Wurzels on Sunday as the resident celebrities for the weekend. As always, a superb fair was lined up including the now-customary Wall of Death, Gallopers, Chair-o-planes, etc, a fine sight to the south side of the field. Let us hope that the recent pattern of two wet years, two fine years, is not repeated for 2009 when the dates are set as 12-13 September 2009. We can’t be that unlucky, can we?