50 FLOATS IN PROCESSION ,

Press, Volume XCVII, Issue 28513, 17 February 1958, Page 3

50 FLOATS IN PROCESSION ,

Fine Exhibits By

Children

Raincoats, umbrellas, galoshes, and gumboots were everywhere during the Christchurch floral festival miniature float procession on Saturday morning, but the rain relented just in time for the start at 10 a.m., and protections from the weather were practically superfluous. For the thousands of parents and children who lined the rote from the Carlton Mill bridge to the Armagh street gates of Hagley Park the show was a rare and joyous experience; and for the many children who took part in the procession it was the time of their lives. From the first float, with its topical sentiment of “God Bless the Royal Family,” with its crown and four small fiages, to the lastj one, a wishing well pulled by two tiny girls, the procession was received well by the crowd, and the standard of the entries was so uniformly high that the floats that earned the most applause were only a little more outstanding than their fellows. There were more than 50 floats, all drawn by children, and of these 26 were entered by schools, and they proved to be the most popular. Outstanding Floats

It was difficult to single out any floats as better than the rest, but a tiny boy and girl in naval uniform drawing a miniature yacht, with a very small, and rather bewildered, sailor, were well appreciated. Of the school entries, three in particular showed evidence of long planning and hard work, although the others were all good. Redcliffs School had a topical entry with a miniature Maori hut, drawn by suitably costumed boys and girls. As with most of the other floats, the children had done most of. the work themselves, with only a little advice and assistance from teachers and parents.

Linwood Avenue, with its entry called “Lands and Peoples,” struck a colourful note. A large floral globe, very realistically prepared, was attended by 16 children in beautiful national costumes, as well as two in the school’s uniform. All the costumes were authentic, and provided by the children. A touch of fairyland was added by Bromley School, which had a Cinderella float, complete with pumpkin, mice, the good fairy, the footmen, and the ugly sisters, who, to avoid repercussions, were boys dressed for the part. A country school, Broadfield, had a novel entry of Little Boy Blue, with his cow’s horn, asleep in the hay. Spirit of Fun

Behind the main procession was a large and beautifully decorated float with the Plunket Society’s carnival queen and her nine “princesses.” They could hardly hope to compete for the crowd’s affections with the children who had gone before, and who had charmed the crowd with their confidence, their joyfulness, and their spirit of fun. Without a doubt, the procession was successful; and to most the success was due not entirely to the beauty of the exhibits, but to the obvious enjoyment, and the undoubted assurance, of the children taking part.

The procession was helped on its way by music from the Christchurch Ladies’ Highland Pipe Band, the Metropolitan Pipe Band, and the Woolston Auxiliary Brass Band.