Carnival 2004 - Fantasy
Looking back at the 2004 Carnival
Carnival day 2004 dawned bright and sunny and so it stayed for all of the morning. The forecasters had warned us that cloud and rain were on the way and I’m afraid they were not wrong.
Carnival morning starts, at 5.30 am when Mark Saccoccio and his team arrive on Edlesborough Green to set out the site. The rest of us tend to roll up an hour or so later in time for the first of many vehicles loaded with the signs, tents, tables, chairs and the hundreds of other items that go to make up the infrastructure of the Carnival. By 8.30 the site is taking shape and Alison Tigg & her registration Team are licking their pencils waiting for the first stall holders to arrive. By 10.30 the arena is up, many of the Classic cars are parked and the Green is beginning to look as if we are going to have a Carnival.
Attention now starts to switch to The Orchards in Eaton Bray where the procession is beginning to be assembled ready for the judging to start at 11.45. By 12.30 the Green is humming and the procession has left Eaton Bray and is wending its way through the decorated street of Eaton Bray and Edlesborough to the Carnival site.
At 1.30 the two halves of the event come together and we are in business - The St Mary’s Village Carnival 2004 is under way.
This all sounds so simple but it is the culmination of 10 months of planning and hard work from the Carnival Committee:
| Chris Banks | Stalls & Entertainment Co-ordinator | |
| Kevin Eagling | Logistics | |
| Gordon Gray | Procession | |
| Theo Gray | Web site | |
| Mel Grundy | Logistics | |
| Viv Grundy | Church Stalls | |
| Ann Lee | Grand Draw | |
| Norman Lee | Logistics | |
| David Mann | Treasurer | |
| David Marriage | Classic vehicles | |
| Mark Saccoccio | Site | |
| Brock Shaw | Publicity & Arena | |
| Rebecca Shaw | Programme Production & Other Stalls | |
| Alison Tigg | Secretary | |
| Peter Thomas | Promotional Activity & site trouble-shooter |
All of these people have done a phenomenal job to make the process appear routine and yet deliver a polished product. Thanks to them all. Incidentally, we are always on the lookout for new committee members – if you are interested please do get in touch with me through the Contact Us link on this website.
Each of these Committee members, of course, has a Team working for them – you all know who you are – without your energies none of this would be possible. Thank you too.
Thanks must also go to all those local businesses that support us so selflessly every year, to the two Parish Councils, the Police, St John Ambulance to those along the procession route who decorate their houses, those who decorated the floats and to all those who supported the local Charitable effort by coming along on the day and spending their hard won cash.
This year, at the time of going to press, we have repeated our success of last year which will enable us to donate in excess of £10,000 to local good causes (see Who will benefit). This is a magnificent achievement made in the face of disappointing weather which caused us to lose at least one of our most popular attractions in the form of the Hot Air Balloon.
Thank you everybody – here’s to next year.
Peter Bennett
Chairman – St Mary's Village Carnival Committee
