Bank Holiday crowds make the most of the good weather (From York Press)

Bank Holiday crowds make the most of the good weather

10:40am Monday 4th May 2009 in Search By Press reporter

SCARECROWS, worms and tigers were all part of a Bank Holiday weekend of fun as people across North Yorkshire made the most of the good weather.

The roads of Haxby and Wigginton were lined with colourful characters for the area’s third Scarecrow Festival, with visitors following trails and answering clues relating to each of the figures.

Organisers said about 900 trails were bought on Saturday, the first day of the festival, and were hoping for similar figures both yesterday and today as the event comes to an end.

Elsewhere, environmental group York Rotters staged its yearly worm-charming competition at the city’s Rowntree Park yesterday, with contestants being allocated a plot before having 30 minutes to charm as many worms as they could in a bid to win a junior wormery.

Borders book store in Davygate, York, was the setting for an afternoon of face-painting fun on Saturday as youngsters were invited to listen to a reading of The Tiger Who Came To Tea, a production of which will be coming to the city’s Grand Opera House next week.

Meanwhile, the steam locomotive Tornado was returning to the tracks today at the North Yorkshire Moors Railway’s Spring Steam Gala, after a mechanical problem caused by a leaking plug in its boiler forced its scheduled Sunday runs to be cancelled for safety reasons.

The railway’s general manager, Phillip Benham, said: “We are very sorry some people were disappointed, but we also have other events going on. A new part has been fitted, so Tornado will be running again on Monday and between May 8 and 10 as the gala continues.”