Week-long carnival and pageant

Press, 26 November 1981, Page 18

Week-long carnival and pageant

The Christmas season begins at Kaiapoi with a weeklong carnival from Monday, culminating in the annual pageant on Saturday. DecemThe central business area is being especially decorated and retailers have been invited to handle their own special promotions or fun thing during the week. The Businessmen’s Association decided not to proceed with a previous suggestion to seek a closure of the main shopping area Of

Williams Street for the late shopping night, Thursday, December 3, but a carnival atmosphere is still being anticipated. About 10 organisations have so far indicated they will hold fund-raising activities during the evening, on the footpath in the central area and car park fronting the Hansen block north over the traffic bridge. A band will be playing in the rotunda on the river bank. There will be a lot of activity in the town during the next day as individuals and organisations prepare for the pageant on Saturday, December 5. The major community effort of the year, it has raised many thousands of dollars for local and some city groups over a good number of years.

Some years, it has been a blazing hot day, on others a dismal torrent of rain but the fun and community spirit have remained undaunted. Most years, attendances h?ve been high, swelled by city and country visitors.-

The Businessmen’s Association sponsors the pageant, and the total cost is expected to reach several hundred dollars.

The day will begin with shops open for business during the morning and the annual raft race beginning at 11 a.m.

Entries for this must be received at the Kaiapoi Sporting Centre by November 28 to allow time for handicapping. A challenge shield and cash prizes will be at stake for the open class, junior (for ages 12 .to 16 years inclusive) and best raft.

Entrants are required to assemble near the Mafeking footbridge, reached from the Smith Street extension, by 10 a.m. for a scrutineer’s check. The course runs straight downstream to the landing beside the Cure Boating Club pavilion.

In previous years, there has been amazing ingenuity shown in the design and materials of rafts. They must be homemade, with no oars or motors, but homemade pedals and non-professional sails can be used as aids in getting over the water a little faster.