Gartmore will head into 2025 prepared to celebrate 300 years of the village being in existence.
The milestone tercentenary is being marked from the off, with a Hogmanay Ceilidh on December 31 inviting locals to ‘Dance Into History’ in the village hall.
Tickets are already on sale at wegottickets.com/event/640843.
On January 22, Gartmore Heritage Society’s Paul Wilson presents ‘The Incredible History of Gartmore’ from 7.30pm for 8pm in the Black Bull.
Further talks take place on February 19 and 22 and March 19.
The talk, he says, will tell the “ridiculously incredible story of our village”.
He added: “If you could wrap together all stories from all the villages in Scotland they’d not come anywhere close to Gartmore. The evidence is massive and has taken years to bring together.
“We’ll go back to 1489 and James IV of Scotland, (the Battle of Gartloaning), then jump forward, a bit, to Cromwell’s invasion of Scotland, Charles II, droving, slavery, the 2nd Slavery, the First Chinese Opium Wars, the biggest fraud attempt in Europe in the 1800’s, our bridges, who lived in your house 300 years ago?
“Find out about the first people who had houses in the village, the changing faces of Gartmore House, the Cayzer family and WWI, Gartmore’s war dead, The Asylum on the Hill, murders, disease and death, WWII and 25 A.S.D. – Britain’s 2nd largest munitions dump – and Operation Overlord (the D-Day invasion), the evacuation of school children to Gartmore in 1939, the crashed Spitfire…. the list goes on!
“If you’re new to the village or if you just have an interest in finding out how this wee village is such a big-hitter then this talk’s for you.
“Our talks now attract 90 people – and it’s not just the boring old duffers who come!”
Marking the village milestone continues throughout the year.
Gartmore School is also hoping to organise a Burns/Scottish themed event, and on March 21 will stage a re-enactment of the evacuation of the schoolchildren from Glasgow in the school.
Also in March, local group Forest Theatre present their production of ‘Beauty and the Beast’ in the village hall.
And on March 22, Big Band ‘That Swing Sensation’ perform their 1940’s Glenn Miller show, with a WW2 screening event the following day (Mrs Miniver, The First of the Few, Saving Private Ryan plus six episodes of Dad’s Army).
Other events will include displays and military vehicle and re-enactment demonstrations.
Further events in the village throughout the year include a conference and debate about all aspects of community woodland ownership in April, the annual plant sale in May, and a gig with Scottish music favourites Phil Cunningham and Aly Bain.
The village’s annual Gala Day on June 7 will feature Historic Gartmore as its theme and the Scottish Chamber Orchestra pays a visit on June 14 – the day before the village gardens open day. The Flower Festival on June 14-16 focuses on ‘Celebration’.
In August, there is an evening party with a meal, musical events and a dance/ ceilidh and, on August 30, the Gartmore Horticultural Society Flower Show.
September sees a project which will no doubt be of particular interest in anniversaries to come. ‘A Snapshot in Time’ will result in every house in the village – and its occupants – being photographed.
Scottish Opera visits on October 15 and The Gartmore Accord features a political conference / debate involving politicians historians and academics.
The village’s literary/book festival is in November and in December ‘Learn to Dance’ feaures five afternoon Scottish country dance sessions – leading up to the close of Gartmore 300 at a Hogmanay Ceilidh in the village hall.