Carronade 2022
Carronade 2022 has been postponed, probably until September. We were planning to run the show on the 7th May but our normal venue, citing Falkirk Council rules, declined to renew our booking. A different venue was found and booked, but they in turn have cancelled, citing Scottish Government Events and Bookings Framework proposals about to be announced, which will limit numbers into non-commercial buildings let for events such as ours. Disappointed does not cover it. Sorry, but this is out of our hands.
CARRONADE! Named after the short range, heavy calibre cannon used by the Royal Navy in the Napoleonic wars and cast at the Carron Ironworks on the outskirts of Falkirk.
SHOW HISTORY Established in 2006, Carronade has gone from strength to strength since our first experiment to try a show. We were not certain that there would be support for another Northern show but decided to give it a go after checking that the club finances were healthy enough to cope if it proved to be a disaster! We need not have worried.
The first show in Falkirk College was well attended and we covered our costs with a small profit. It has grown every successive year and we soon had to switch to our current venue at Graeme High School for more floor space. We are using every practical space in the school building now and only wish we had more.
One early Carronade innovation was to run a flea market rather than a traditional bring and buy. We believe we were one of the first UK shows to use this format which is better known at US conventions.
Gamers can hire a small table for a nominal fee in one or more of four 1 hour sessions during the day and sell their own items for whatever price they negotiate, with no cut taken by the club. It has proved hugely popular.
Staffing a show as large as Carronade! is a challenge if you still want club members to have time to look around the show and buy some new toys.
The flea market format needs just one club member present to manage the hall while a traditional bring and buy needs many pairs of hands. So, for us, it was either run the market area as a flea market format or nothing.
With the numerous traders, club demonstration and public participation games and the popular painting competition we hope our fellow gamers have a grand day out at Carronade!