MR BOJANGLES himself could not have danced as high as the morris men who jingle-jangled around the streets of Wimborne at the annual Folk Festival at the weekend.

And, like tap dancer Bill "Bojangles" Robinson, many folk aficionados like a beer or two, so the town's pubs did a roaring trade.

An amazing 1,100 crammed into the White Hart when rockabilly band Pronghorn played there on Saturday night - and similar numbers were expected for the full bill yesterday.

Staff at The Bell were kept busy on Friday and Saturday and were also expecting large crowds to see Pronghorn, Who's Afeard and Jimmy Pithe.

There was more music in the Allendale Community Centre, while outside, children's magician Krazy Kev kept the tots entertained.

Around him stallholders did a roaring trade in bangles and beads, hats and hippy clothes, henna tattoos and hoola hoops, frisbees, dragon tails and other games.

There were more stalls in the Conservative Club car park, High Street and Square where, when the lunchtime rain had set in, one wit on the Wimborne RNLI stall was shouting: "Get your waterskis here and ski down the High Street."

There was plenty of tasty treats around, including Indian street food, fresh smoothies, yoggies and juices, traditional burgers in buns and Dorset tea bread and apple cake from Eve and Jo Puttock and Somerset cider.

Main morris action was in the town streets where such acts as the Bourne Bumpers and the Grand Union morris side danced their hearts out.

The Bourne team staged Tower Green, a homegrown handkerchief dance to a Gilbert and Sullivan tune.

Jill Parson of the Barley Brigg morris team kept time with her big bass drum, compatriot Ade Brown played along on his melodeon and the other 20 members of the side hopped and skipped to their beat outside the minster church.

More in tune with Mr Bojangles were the Devil's Jumps clog dance side from Emsworth who hoofed their way spectaularly through the Lancashire Hornpipe.

Mayor Robin Cook was enjoying his 28th festival.

He said that some locals knock it because some "hangers-on" cause problems. "But this year there's been very little trouble due to the police presence. This weekend is probably as quiet as I've seen it in recent years.

"There's something about it that's right for Wimborne," he said.

  • See our video news section for footage of the festival - online from Monday morning.