Special event marks 90th birthday of Teddy Bear’s Picnic

If you go down to the Grange Park on Saturday… you’re sure of a big surprise!
This is because the Fermanagh and Omagh District Council are hosting a very special ‘Teddy Bear’s Picnic’ event with lots of fun for all the family in celebration of the 90th birthday of the children’s classic song of the same name.

Consisting of a melody written in 1907 by American composer, John Walter Bratton, the lyrics were added by prolific song writer, James (Jimmy) Kennedy in the 1930s, and then both elements were recorded together to create the song that we, and the generations before us, know and love.

This Saturday (July 29), from 1pm to 4pm, you can look forward to hearing this iconic song, and many more of Jimmy Kennedy’s classics, performed by St Eugene’s Brass and Reed Band.

Tom Sweeney will also be hosting a fabulous ‘Tots and Teddy’ singalong for everyone to join in, while fascinating storytelling by Libraries NI will surely ignite the young audience’s imaginations, and spark creativity.

There will be laughter galore with games and rhyme time, organised by LAST Sure Start, and cute spiders and wiggly worms will get the giggles going when Council staff lead a ‘Biodiversity Bug Hunt and Tree Trail’ for all the family to enjoy.

Face-painting and fun

And that’s not all – wellbeing summer camp activities, an adorable teddy bear trail and facepainting will also be bringing colourful fun to the park, and delicious coffee, crepes, ice cream and more will be served to keep the energy levels up and the spirits high.

Describing the event as a ‘fun and enjoyable day’, and one that ‘showcases the rich musical heritage of Omagh’, chairman ofthe Council, Councillor Thomas O’Reilly, has encouraged parents and guardians to bring their young people along.

“I’m looking forward to attending the Teddy Bear’s Picnic event on Saturday at Grange Park,” he said. “It is fitting that the Council is hosting this event to coincide with the 90th anniversary of the Teddy Bear’s Picnic song.

“It provides an opportunity to introduce our young people to the iconic song by a native of Omagh, and also continue to showcase the rich music heritage of the area, which has been celebrated by the Council in recent years.”

Celebrating our park

The weekend’s festivities at the Grange Park also perfectly align with the ‘Love Parks’ week, which begins on July 28, and runs to August 6.

This is a special week to celebrate our wonderful Omagh parks, green spaces and the dedicated volunteers and talented workers who look after them all-year-round.

As such, visitors to the Teddy Bear’s Picnic are encouraged to immerse themselves in the natural beauty of Grange Park.

So – make sure you bring along your favourite teddy bears, and a yummy picnic on Saturday as ‘today’s the day the teddy bears have their picnic’.

l For more information on the ‘Teddy Bear’s Picnic’, please visit ‘www.fermanaghomagh.com/
events-and-festivals’ or contact Events on 0300 303 1777, textphone 028 8225 6216 or email ‘events@fermanaghomagh.com’.

l Please note: There are a number of blue badge parking spaces available at the Grange Park car park, and accessible toilets are now onsite.