Saturday 15 November 2014

1977 Photographic Album 2 - Carnival Parade

The second set of photos from my recently unearthed photo album from 1977 show a carnival parade along Blackpool's Promenade. I think this is the Round Table's carnival but am quite happy to be corrected via comment or email! This was just about a year after we moved to Blackpool so even annual events were being seen for the first time!

These pancake-tossing lovelies are wearing t-shirts advertising the Mecca Ballroom. Situated on Central Drive this was a popular venue at the time and I'm sure just the mention of its name will stir lots of memories for people who used to go to the Mecca venues all over the country.

The "Captain" of this float, mocked up like a Mississippi paddle steamer - not a common sight off Blackpool usually... 1977 was the Queen's Silver Jubilee year so lots of floats were decked out (I can't help it...) in red, white and blue!

The float of Blackpool Transport Car Club. The Ford Escort on the back of the float would be four or five years old, the Mk.I Escort came out in 1968 and was a delight to drive, thought by many to be the first truly modern small car. It replaced the Ford Anglia and was in production for quite some time through six versions until it was replaced by the Focus in 2002.

My mind draws almost a total blank on this one. If anyone can identify the couple please let me know. I have a vague feeling they were entertainers, though at what venue I've no idea...

Strange how I seem to have chosen to point the camera primarily at pretty girls... But hey! Look at that teepee! She's laughing at the antics of her partner who was called Streaker. No... not Streaker... Running Bear! That's it!

The Fylde, as the wider region in which Blackpool sits is known, is famous for windmills. Even today you can still find at least six and there are another two "over Wyre" as the region north of the River Wyre is known.

I hope you've enjoyed this glimpse of 1977. It's rare now, just 37 years later, to find a carnival parade with floats that have had so much work devoted to them. The dreaded Health & Safety ethos of modern times has not so much directly stopped these things, but the relentless pursuit of blame and threat of legal action in case of what used to be called accidents would now make any lorry owner and driver wary of accepting a temporary structure with people standing on top of a moving vehicle. A great shame. How did we all survive such foolish and dangerous times?

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