On Saturday 11^th June, Erin Hastings will be crowned the 38^th Strathaven Gala Queen - the latest in a tradition that began back in 1974 - but there's much more to Strathaven Gala than just the crowning of the Queen - although that's always been the culmination of the week...

Before going any further, I'd like to say that Strathaven is incredibly fortunate to have such an excellent Gala - and not just the day of the parade itself - the whole week-long festival. I'm very lucky to have been involved in many Gala events over the years and that's down to the hard work of all the people behind the scenes who have made it happen and kept it going over the years - and the people in the area who turn out to support it. Having been around the country to other Galas over the past couple of years, there are very few which can hold a candle to Strathaven - and there are plenty of places larger than Strathaven which, though apathy and lack of interest, have seen their Galas disappear (Rosyth, for example), several more which are a pale imitation, and a few which were poor, at best (naming no names).

So please - let's keep supporting the Gala - and backing the people who work hard to make it such a great occasion - you don't know what you've got until it was gone, as they say - so let's support our town's big festival week - and make sure we never find ourselves in that position.

Anyway, moving on - here is an entirely random selection of Gala memories - some of what's best - and occasionally not so good - about the Galas over the years. Feel free to dispute and add to any of the entries, and please add your own memories and photos of Gala days over the years too!

Bunting - From Station Road, up to the top of Townhead Street, out along Glasgow Road and around the Common Green, the arrival of the bunting on the town's lamp-posts is a sure sign that the Gala - and summer - is on the way.

Crowning - In the early days of the Gala the crowning took place on the steps of the John Hastie Museum, until in the mid-1980s the venue for the culmination of Gala week was switched to the bandstand in the George Allan Park - a great natural amphitheatre for huge crowds to watch the ceremony.

Queens - Mother.... - The very first Strathaven Gala Queen was Ruth Aiton, back in 1974. Today she's Ruth Hastings - and is still a member of the Gala Committee...

Queens - ...and daughter - and this year her daughter Erin will be crowned queen - the first mother and daughter to have held the title.

Queens - Sisters - Wendy and Gail Weir are the only two sisters to have become Gala Queen, in 1988 and 1989 respectively - and they're still involved in the Gala today - you can see the performers from their dance school on the bandstand after the crowning on Gala Day.

Programme covers - Since the Gala began the programme cover has been designed by the winner of a local schools' competition. In the early days it proclaimed the "Annual Festival of the Free Burgh in Barony of Strathaven", a tag line that disappeared on to the inside page some time in the late 1970s. This year's Gala is announced on page three of the programme as the "38^th Annual Festival of the Free Burgh in Barony of Strathaven." If anyone can fill in the detail of what a "Free Burgh in Barony" actually is, please let us know. And if you don't mind, we'll stick to 'Gala' for the website. It fits in the headlines better, you know.

Adverts- The Gala programme has long since been a comprehensive directory of pretty much all the businesses in Strathaven and the surrounding area. One of the great joys of looking into old Gala programmes from down the years is seeing the adverts from Strathaven shops and businesses long since departed - Gilmour's, the Park Cafe, Annie's Wee Shop - ah yes, we remember them well.

Window spotting - One of the great traditions of the weeks leading up to the gala is to watch small groups peering into shop windows around the town, often in pouring rain and howling gales, trying to spot a rogue thimble, hair clip or other 'foreign' (to use the official term) object. Everyone's got a tale of going around town hunting for all the shop windows, never mind the objects - tell your stories here!

Throwing things to the crowd (good) - Not entirely sure when the tradition of some floats throwing sweets to the children (and others) in the crowd started - possibly some time in the early 80s - if you know which the first float was to start throwing sweets - or would like to lay claim to the title yourself, let us know.

Throwing things to the crowd (bad) - for a few years in the late 80s and early 90s, some people saw fit to arm their float - or garden along the route - with an arsenal of water pistols and balloons to soak unsuspecting passers-by. Was quickly stopped after understandable complaints from damp spectators, coupled with the realisation that, in the West of Scotland, mother nature is usually only a few minutes away from providing her own soaking.

Parade route- The Gala parade followed the same route, starting at Station Road, every year up until 2010, when the start point was moved to the new Sainsbury's store at the top of Kirk Street. Anyone who's ever taken part in the Gala parade will have memories of standing, waiting for the start in Station Road, as the judges go around making their decisions, and everyone keeps one eye on the sky to see if that cloud in the distance is heading for Strathaven or not.

Parade (too tall)- At least once, a float in the parade has turned out to be too tall to pass under the bunting en route - with the flags having to be lifted over the lorry, one at a time as it passes. I have a vague memory of something that looked like Nelson's Column (but could just as easily have been the Drumclog Monument) having this problem one year in the early 1980s - but anyone who can provide more details will be more than welcome.

Parade (strange sights) - A regular feature in the Gala parade for many years was a small motorised orange, which pleasingly made its way around the streets. It made a welcome return a few years ago - but if anyone can give more details of where it came from - or nominate even stranger sights from Gala parades.

Weather - as a general rule, Strathaven's 37 Galas so far have been blessed with relatively good weather, with a couple of exceptions. In 1982, jackets, jumpers and cagoules were donned on a freezing rainy day, and on more than a couple of occasions the rain has done the decent thing and held off until late afternoon - although putting paid to many barbecues in the process. On the plus side, there have also been plenty of glorious sunny days - including some that have led to red faces - literally and figuratively - from those who forgot the sunblock.

Boys' football - from the start of the Gala right up to the early 1990s, the boys' football tournament was a fiercely competitive affair, with rounds played every night from Monday to Friday, and the final on the Saturday - usually in front of a big crowd after the crowning at the Hastie museum. One of the big excitements of the gala programme was the page listing all the teams for the tournament, picked from the local schools, and hunting for your name to see who you were playing with. Today, football is still part of the Gala week - with the Dynamo Festival in the park on Sunday.

Inter-Hostelry Football - A frantic, competitive, and occasionally fractious competition between the area's pubs was a fixture in the Gala programme until the late 1980s, when it faded away. Might be time for a return, in one form or another? If only for a long-overdue revival of the word 'hostelry'.

Raft Race (old) - The raft race has been a fixture as a curtain-raiser to the Gala Week almost since the beginning. However, for some reason, in the early years someone decided it would be a good idea for the race to start at Broon's Brig, and make its way all the way to the Craig Bridge - a distance of nearly two miles. To put it into context, this is roughly twice the distance of an Olympic rowing final, and I don't ever remember seeing Sir Steve Redgrave carrying his craft over rocks.

As the crowd gathered at the finish peered upstream to see the teams coming around the bend in the river, they were often preceded by bits of broken off raft and looking for all the world like they were returning from the Somme. I have a vague memory of a wedding ring once being lost midstream - but actually recovered later by someone in diving gear. If anyone can fill in the details of this story we'd love to hear it, of course.

Raft race (new) - In the early 1990s it was decided that the raft race had, literally, run its course, and the format was changed to the much more friendly race up and down the river at Craig Bridge still in use today, where teams spend far more time on their rafts than carrying them. However, everyone taking part still gets just as wet as they always did - some things don't change.

If you've got any raft race memories and photos - then share them here on s1strathaven!

Car Treasure Hunt - Starting from Station Road, a mad scramble hunting for clues on the highways and byways around Strathaven has been a hugely popular part of Gala since the early 1980s. There are bound to be plenty of stories of escapades and getting lost out on the course - let's hear them!

Committee - Despite what many might think, this stuff doesn't just organise itself, you know. So a thoroughly deserved 'hats off' to all the people who work incredibly hard behind the scenes - and that's throughout the year, not just Gala week itself. New volunteers and helpers are always needed, though - could you do your bit and help the Gala?

Adam Law - I don't think any sort of Gala memories piece would be complete without mention of Adam Law. Whether it was hosting the raft race, duck race or commentation on the field events on Gala afternoon, for more than 30 years he really was the 'voice of the Gala', bringing the events to life. "Oh, it's away like a champion", "If you're going to cheat, cheat fair," - if you ever heard his commentaries, you'll remember these, and many more. Even without a microphone in his hand, he was a staunch supporter of the Gala and all its events - from its earliest days of adverts in the programme for 'Adam Law - joiner and builder'. Adam passed away in 2006, and is sadly missed. However the Adam's Community Trust, established in 2007 in his memory, and working on local community projects - which he would have loved - will be at this year's Gala.

Duck Race - Joined the Gala programme in the early 1990s, and quickly (or 'quackly' - sorry) established itself as a firm favourite. Starting in the George Allan Park, and making its way to the Allison Green, the time taken entirely dependent on the amount of water - or lack of it - in the burn. Previous efforts, not always successful, have included damming up the river at the waterfall. Again, depending on the weather, spectators occasionally eaten alive by midges.

It's a Knockout - An absolute fixture in the Gala afternoon programme from the beginning up until around 2000. Always a competition between the four Strathaven Academy houses - Dungavel (blue), Lethame (red), Loudoun (yellow) and Kype (green) with teams - and occasionally groups of cheerleaders. As with the TV series, games usually involved large quantities of water. If you ever took part in It's a Knockout, share your memories and photos here. It would be great fun to have it back as part of the gala afternoon - although it was a sobering moment when I discovered that it's nearly been 30 years since the original series went off the air...

Well, there you go. An entirely unfocussed, rambling collection of Gala memories, which hopefully stirred some memories of your own - and I'm certain there's plenty I've missed out.

If it did, then please comment here, and share your own memories and photos from down the years here on s1strathaven - you can post old Gala photos in the 'Gala Memories' folder in our 'Pics and Videos' section here.

And, of course, we'll see you at this year's Gala...