Crowning glory beckons for new Rose Queen Alice (From Knutsford Guardian)

Crowning glory beckons for new Rose Queen Alice

2:40pm Thursday 28th June 2012 in News

A MAN and a 6ft balloon will entertain crowds at this year’s Goostrey Rose Day on Saturday.

Bruce Airhead, with the help of a volunteer, uses a voice-activated vacuum cleaner to inflate a 6ft balloon.

Wearing only brightly-coloured shorts and choreographed to music, he slides inside the balloon, building the show to an explosive finale.

The act will follow the crowning of this year’s Goostrey Rose Queen, 13-year-old Alice Keeling.

When Alice was chosen to be queen earlier this year she achieved something her mother and grandmother failed to do.

Alice’s mum Jane Keeling was unsuccessful in her bid to be queen in 1984, and her grandmother Eileen Everett was a runner-up in 1949.

Alice, who lives in Sandbach and is a pupil at Holmes Chapel School, will be accompanied by her attendants Katie Buxton, Kate Bowers, Olivia Burns, Megan Macauley, Caitlin Percy and Elke Rottier.

More than 200 children will take part in the procession from Booth Bed Lane to the school which will start at 1pm. The crowning ceremony is at 2pm.

This year Rose Day president is Ann Turnock, who was involved in Goostrey Pre-school for 30 years, spending many Rose Days caring for young children on the Pre-school float. Her daughter Angela was Rose Queen in 1991.

Sue Mottershead, Rose Festival Chairman, said: “Rose Day is a very special event in Goostrey’s calendar and we hope all the children and their families enjoy it.”

In the evening there will be a Ceilidh and hog roast on the school field.