Yes, it is. Spring Harvest. Christian event held at Funcoast World (Butlin�s) in Skegness, Lincolnshire. As a child, I used to love Spring Harvest, but I have no idea why.
NB � I have a condition known as �seriously good recall of seriously uninteresting stuff� syndrome. For example, I can remember ALL of the chalet numbers that we stayed in. It comes in very handy for boring Seanna / mum and dad to tears.
Children have their own programs in the morning while their parents are in seminars or worshipping in the �Big Top� (Tardis-like circus marquee giving us one of the most impressive worship venues I�ve ever seen). Sounds fair enough.
I had some serious bad times in those things. Spring Harvest 1990 (Event title �Uncage The Lion�, Chalet HH117) � and I was in the Whizz Kids (snigger). Every day, they had this �time machine� where a character from the bible came to talk to the kids. Thing is, the time machine had some seriously bad pyro - first nothing and then BANG! Explosion with sparks followed by smoke. It scared the shit out of me and left me with a serious phobia of sudden explosions. I used to stay awake at night for ages in fear that our house was going to burn down with us all in it. All for a cheap trick where the �real� Moses would emerge from smoke. And his beard falls off. It was weird, cos the next day I wouldn�t explain to my Dad why I didn�t want to go, but he soon found out when he accompanied me. And you all have my permission to ask him about it.
Another time was Power Point (8-11�s event) in 1993 (Event Title �Living On The Edge�, Chalet No. BM115 � keeping score?). Had to be grouped with this lad who wanted everything HIS way. It was a drama, and he decided that he wanted to be up at the front. When we weren�t picked he yelled at me �SOME HELP YOU WERE!� to which I responded �don�t know why I bother sometimes�� when what I really wanted to do was tear him a new arsehole and destroy his sad little life from within. God doesn�t like vengeance, of course�
More? Spring Harvest 2002 (Event Title �You�ve Got Mail� � I�m not kidding, Chalet No. BK14, 15 and 16 as I stayed in all three at different stages). Being the pinnacle of virtue was hard work. Being �better� than Gareth was a piece of piss though. After two nights sharing a flat with Gareth, Frazer and Allan, off I went to sleep on mum and dad�s floor when THE ALCOHOL CAME OUT!! DEVIL JUICE AT SPRING HARVEST!! I am ashamed of myself for what I did � I mean, I went and told my Dad and slept on the floor to avoid them. How bloody naff was that? So after that, the rest of the week was a downer. Got nowhere with Lisa, felt more homesick than ever (pining for Lincolnshire) and God�s zealous little soldier � the Spiritual Proclamation Of the Truth (SPOT � get it?) got nowhere. I spent one night in my room crying my eyes out, wondering if I had to be dead to be noticed / appreciated. I embarrassed myself consistently. I�m over it now, but I was a wreck. Yet two weeks later I got baptised and made more of a mockery of my life.
You see, like most Christian events, I found myself uncomfortable with any aggressive evangelism � MAKE YOUR FEELINGS PUBLIC! COME TO THE FRONT! MAKE A STAND! You see one person. Then their friend. Then two more from the same group. Like sheep. Seeing so many unready people making a faux commitment to the Lord Jesus Christ Who Died For Your Sins destroyed the Christian in me. But now it hits me, I thought they were all unready, but I got baptised at 17 to make my dad happy. Wrong move.
Looking back, I could never go back to Spring Harvest. The last one was a disaster for the virtuous. And now that I�m not virtuous, it would just be lying in bed until midday - that's when the Edinbugh Games Centre opens (to make sure you went to a seminar - booo!). Then snooker, pub, evening entertainment, maybe some bowling and go to bed again. Secular Harvest!
All this aside, Spring Harvest 1997 was amazing. Thanks to one man - Shane Ward. Christ, I miss that guy.