FAIR Monday, 1982, and Glasgow was baking in the summer sunshine.
“It was a scorcher,” says Times Past reader Dorothy Connor.
“George Square in Glasgow was packed and I was going to fulfil a long held ambition.
“I was part of an amateur tap dancing group who trained at the Glasgow Ballet School in Dennistoun.”
(Image: Newsquest)
She adds: “It was a great honour to be asked to perform as none of us had done it before.
“There was great excitement in the air. We were all ages, shapes and sizes but we all had one thing in common - we loved music and we loved to dance and enjoy ourselves.”
The Fair Fortnight (the middle two weeks of July) used to be a Glasgow institution, when factories closed down and families headed for the seaside.
Ayr, Prestwick, Troon and Millport were popular destinations, but Rothesay, Irvine and Helensburgh - where these people enjoyed lounging around in deckchairs in 1957 - were also favourites.
(Image: Newsquest)
It is not as religiously observed these days, but for many Glaswegians of a certain vintage it still evokes memories of picnics at the beach, paddling in the sea, and dodging the showers.
Dorothy, who lives in Rutherglen, has vivid memories of her family and friends joining many more to crowd into the square that particular Fair Monday.
“My own mum and dad had even postponed their holiday in Blackpool to come and watch,” she says.
“We arrived early, along with some of the professional tap dancers from the school, for a last minute run-through.
“We had been promised a stage but found that what had been provided was sheets of wood taped together over the concrete. A springy floor is a must to prevent foot and leg damage when tap dancing, but never mind - the show must go on.
“We all got into our places and I found myself leading us. Aged 28, finally I was going to be in some sort of musical extravaganza. Oh, the joy…”
The group had been told to dress in ballet school t-shirts and casual trousers, Dorothy explains, “so that anyone would feel that they could join us later in our classes.”
She adds: “We had learned to tap dance from scratch, going up to the school in all weathers summer and winter after coming from our various places of work.
“No matter how tired we were at the start of the session, we all emerged two hours later invigorated and singing and dancing all the way home, eager for the next week's class.”
In George Square, as the music began, Dorothy and her opposite number nodded to each other and the show kicked off.
“Right foot forward, big smile on face, showtime,” she says. “We danced to Tap Your Troubles Away, Mack and Mabel and finished with New York , New York.
“The crowd clapped and cheered and we invited children to come up and join us for an encore, teaching them one or two basic steps .
“It was a fantastic success.” After the show, Dorothy took her mum and dad out for lunch at the nearby Ingram Hotel.
“And the next day we came back and did it all again,” she says, smiling.
Dorothy had always wanted to be a singer and a dancer, inspired in part by her grandfather.
“I wanted to do musical theatre, but I was a quiet, clever, plump child and feared ridicule,” she says.
“My grandpa James Kelly had run music hall acts during WW1 to raise funds for ex-servicemen and their families, at some points sharing the bill with Sir Harry Lauder and appearing at the famous Panopticon Theatre in Glasgow.”
Many years later, Dorothy fulfilled another ambition.
“I was part of Big Big Sing appearing live on BBC during the Commonwealth Games in 2014 as part of the Rutherglen and Cambuslang Rock and Pop Chorus,” she explains.
“That also took place during the Glasgow Fair. Tourists and others who came along were all up dancing to our performance of Walking on Sunshine with BBC staff coming out onto the steps to join in.”
She adds, with a laugh: “It was another scorching day and a ‘rerr terr at the ferr’….”
What are your Glasgow Fair memories? Get in touch by emailing ann.fotheringham@glasgowtimes.co.uk or write to Ann Fotheringham, Glasgow Times, 125 Fullarton Drive, Glasgow G32 8FG.
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel