New Brighton Carnival

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32801, 29 December 1971, Page 14

New Brighton Carnival

Doubled gross takings and the largest first-day crowd for five years more than 4000 —• delighted the organisers of the New Brighton New Year Carnival yesterday.

People crowded the area round the sound shell on the New Brighton foreshore to watch a variety of competitions and contests, or to try their hand at one or more of the 37 stalls in Sideshow Alley. ' The New Brighton Jaycee, organiser of the carnival, believes that the success of the day was largely because of thousands who flocked to New' Brighton to shop yesterday, i Without the attraction of shopping, it was questionable' whether the carnival could! have had such an excellent; start, said one of the organ-; isers.

In the morning, 400 entrants spread over almost a' quarter of, a mile of beach

took part in a sandcastle competition for children up to 12. Competition winners were: Bevin Milesi 1, Andrei and Michel Papesch 2, Gary Teltie 3.

J. Biack gained first place in the first of the daily “hairy legs” contest. The longest hairs were 2}in. Foi more than 90 minutes, spectators watched 39 contestants in the “Junior Miss South Island” competition. This number was reduced to 16 girls, aged between 11 and 16, who assembled again early in the evening, when 16 semi-finalists were chosen. They will compete in the final this evening.

Shopkeepers in New Brighton enjoyed a busier than usual day’s trading yesterday, I with crowds far larger than ion a normal Saturday. From early morning to closing time iat 5.30 p.m., New Brighton | was thronged with thousands jof shoppers and holiday- | makers. Trade was generally j brisk. Coffee bars and milk bars were generally overworked)

trying to cope with the demand?

The day’s excellent trading had helped relieve the loss of trading last Saturday, said the president of the New Brighton Businessmens’ Association (Mr P. Sheppard). Shopping in New Brighton during Christmas week had been much better than last year, he said. All the events in the carnival have been sponsored by various New Brighton shops and organisations. Proceeds from the carnival will go towards improvements on the foreshore. Other carnival results were:

Go go competition.—Colleen Salt 1, Debbie Black 2, Helen Newman 3.

Mother and daughter contest—Mrs Roland and Tania 1, Mrs Fitzgerald and Donna Maree 2. Mrs Lush and Donna Marie 3.

Junior Mr New Zealand” (15 and under). —Gregory Oakes 1, Gary Sherwood 2, Frank King 3. “Junior Miss South Island” finalists.—Elenka Nikoloss, Mere Nihoniho, Debbie Black, Elizabeth Archer, Linda Morris, Leanne Thomson, Julie Hood, 'and Huia Matthews.