Bulletin 29.09.08.

Dirty Work Tent Grand Sheik Gary Winstanley says, "I have sorted out a venue for our meetings. They will take place on the second Wednesday of every month at The Honeysuckle pub, Poolstock, Wigan, from 8.30pm. Our first 'official' meeting will be on Wednesday 8th Octember." Gary goes on to tell us, "The pub is located right near what used to be a racetrack which Stan and Ollie actually visited in 1947 on their British tour, so we are more or less hosting our meetings at a place where they visited." There is a possibility that this venue will be the new home of the annual Laurel and HarDay. Christmas cards and calendars Lucy Southward is now taking orders and payment for Laurel and Hardy Christmas cards. The cards come in packs of ten, all individually made, colours of red, gold and navy, A6 size cream cards, with envelopes included. The cost is £9.99 with no charge for postage and packing. Brand new drawings! To order contact Lucy at lucysouthward@hotmail.com. If you would rather send a cheque, Lucy's address is 55 Coleridge Drive, Baxenden, Lancashire, BB5 2PU. Lucy also has 2009 calendars for sale on the Internet. Each page has a satin coated print on 170gsm high quality art paper. They are A3 size (297mm x 420mm). Click here. One of Lucy's drawings featured on her calendars Calendars Play.com has Slow Dazzle's 2009 Laurel and Hardy calendars at £5.00, including p&p. Click here. Ireland quandary John Osborne points out that the November meetings of Ireland's Another Fine Mess Tent and the Jitterbugs Tent are both on the same night - the 29th. He is in a quandary about which one to attend as he is a regular attender at both. Beer and gravy While perusing the entertainment at this year's Sheffield Beer Festival, John Burton noted that the band performing on 20th September was Laughing Gravy. John says, "I can confirm the band's name originates from the film character. Thinking about it, it has to!" House call Howard Parker found this on the BBC News Channel on the Internet (19.09.08.): A woman returned from her holiday to discover her new home had been gutted by contractors due to a council error. Claire Walton was one of many residents in Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent whose homes had been compulsorily purchased by the council and earmarked for demolition. Live Ghost frolics You are invited to another evening of fun and frolics when The Live Ghost Tent holds another fine meeting on Saturday 4th October, from 5.30pm until 11.00 pm at The Calthorpe Arms, 252 Grays Inn Road, London WC1X 8JR. The theme will be "Stanley's rebellions". Surprise Ulverston visit Residents of Ulverston were surprised to see Laurel and Hardy in their town once more on Sunday 28th September. This time the Boys weren't standing on the balcony of the Coronation Hall as they did in 1947, but instead they were standing in the County Square below. Click here for story Alex Norton to pen Stan Laurel movie Paul English wrote in the Daily Record (20.09.08.). . . Taggart star Alex Norton is swapping murder for mayhem with a film project that will bring Stan Laurel back to Glasgow. He has written a script about Stan Laurel's first live performance, in Glasgow's now defunct Panopticon Theatre in 1906. And Norton hopes to film the flick in the theatre, which is Britain's oldest surviving music hall, on the city's Trongate. He said: "Bill Paterson and I first rediscovered the Panopticon in the 1970s. My great uncle Billy was on the variety stage and he was talking about when it was the Britannia Music Hall. He spoke about this old theatre above a shop in Glasgow and so Bill and I spent an afternoon wandering around until we found it." Since then, various campaigns have attempted to restore the landmark theatre and now Alex could be set to return it to its heyday if his script gets backing. He said: "I did something for STV years ago on Stan Laurel but now I want to do the film in the Panopticon. To make a decent production about Stan's first night in Glasgow would be great and to do it inside the Panopticon would be heaven."