On Saturday, August 27 the Marsh Choir, made up of singers from Rye, Lydd and other parts of the Marsh, were invited to join the Dr Syn Festival in Dymchurch which usually happens every two years but was interrupted by Covid. It started in 2014 as a multi- faceted cultural festival, bringing together the community for music, cinema, theatre and visual arts. Most people stepped up to expectation and had dressed up as pirates/smugglers, a fun and wonderful sight of inspiration, and we were overlooking the sea, the beach and the sun was out.
Onlookers were wondering what was happening, but once we started singing, more and more audience arrived and some actually joined in with the well known shanties. We added in a few other ballads like Mr Blue by the Electric Light Orchestra. Carly, apart from being an amazing musician, is also an awesome choir leader, who manages to get a group of, sometimes, forty singers to sing in harmony (sopranos, altos and tenors) Go to www.marshchoir.com for more details or how to join.
The Dr Syn festival, a weekend of dressing up as smugglers and pirates, has been happening in many towns across Britain. It refers to the fictional hero Dr Syn, aka Scarecrow and his gang. Author Russell Thorndike wrote seven novels featuring the anonymous smuggling vicar living in the 18th century and moving around the Kent marshes. The festival lasts the whole of August Bank Holiday, with music exhibitions in the church and performances from Morris Dancers, mummers and more. Now it collects money for charities in the community.
Russell Thorndike, born 1885 (died 1979) in Rochester, Kent was also an actor and played Dr Syn in a play of that name. He was the brother of Dame Sybil Thorndike. In 1964 the Parochial Church of St Peters and Paul needed funds to pay for the renewal of the roof and decided to run a pageant fete for the local village. Russel Thorndike gave them permission to use Dr Syn as the title of the day and that is how the mystery of the vicar and his pirate/smuggler band started, eventually becoming a community fun Bank Holiday weekend. To read more about the author or books just search for Dr Syn.
Image Credits: Heidi Foster , Days of Syn .