Contractors Millennium Peal Millennium Star Welcome Sanctuary or Spring Sharow in 2000AD Technical Details
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Throughout 1999 Sharow PCC initiated a number of events to celebrate
the closure of the 2nd millennium and the dawning of the 3rd millennium. In March 1999 a Cookery Demonstration by Eileen Buchanan, a well known local cookery tutor and demonstrator, got the whole thing off to a great start with a sell out audience entranced by the magic with which Eileen produced the most mouth watering dishes. This was followed in June 1999 by a Weekend Extravaganza which included:
a Scarecrow Trail encompassing the whole village with 32 imaginative creations in gardens, by gateways, on roofs;
fifteen Open Gardens around the village which gave people a chance to see the handywork of dedicated - and not so dedicated gardeners!
a magnificent Flower Festival in St. Johns Church;
many of the children from Sharow School, along with local adults, participated in
an Art Competition and a Poetry Competition;
Side Shows; Stalls galore; a Raffle;
a Concert in the church on the Saturday evening.
September saw a Village XI v's Vicar's XI Cricket Match on the sports field. All this helped us see out the closing millennium in grand style.
But then there was the question of welcoming the new, the 3rd, millennium.
Sharow Millennium Star, a 46ft high illuminated star, was erected on the tower of St. John's Church Sharow. It turned out to be a unique celebration of the New Millennium. On the evening of Sunday 12th December 1999, shortly before 6 pm, several hundred people gathered outside St. John's Church to witness the switching on of Sharow Millennium Star. Promptly at 6 pm Mrs Reynard, our oldest inhabitant at 103 years, pressed the plunger and the star sprang into light. It was a truly amazing site and visible for miles around. It became something of a landmark bearing witness to the beginning of the Third Millennium of Christ and remained illuminated until the beginning of Lent 2000. It was a talking point at the time and remains so some four years later. In fact, there are many who still miss that star and some who wish it could be a more permanent feature on our skyline! In order to raise money for the project, individual bulbs were sponsored at £5 each (US$8). Sponsors came from far and wide, quite literally from around the world. 25% of the monies received by way of sponsorship were donated to Sharow School and other worthy causes and charities. Sharow Millennium Star Commemorative Book was published and includes the names of all sponsors and much interesting information about the village of Sharow. A copy of this Commemorative Book is available for viewing in St. John's Church, Sharow.