THE NEW YEAR CARNIVAL

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 2, Issue 247, 9 December 1940, Page 4

THE NEW YEAR CARNIVAL

THE newly constituted Chamber of Commerce is losing no time in making* its energies felt. The most important project now in hand is the New Year Carnival the committee of which met on Saturday last and; drew up an attractive programme which in spite of the belated start should draw a record crowd to the town. The whole success of the Carnival depsnds entirely on the co-operatio. i of the citizens who must themselves help the aommittee to create the festive atmosphere which is absolutely essential. To bringabout the true carnival spirit the whole town must enter . into the theme of the event . Shopkeepers must adopt the gala attitude, making special efforts to present bright,, attractive window; displays, not forgetting that the occasion will welcome laughable an'd even ludicrious portrayals of current local events or international figures. The: idea is to banish the cares and worries of the times by the cultivation of innocent fun and laughter. There could be no more fitting "occasion for a carnival than the present. If properly conducted and carried out to plan it would be a tonic for young and old. Whakatane has never attempted such a thing in the past, but there is no reason at all why it should not do so. now. The wide Strand makes an excellent setting for public jollification while the two bands (Citizens and Caledonian) are already assets which are waiting to be employed. The potential prospects of a properly conducted carnival are tremendous, and; it will be the first town in the Bay of Plenty to institute on New Year's Eve an annual gala event which will become the accepted centre for crowds to congregate for the welcoming of the New Year. It is not merely, therefore with an. eye to the present need for a,o tion that the Chamber has sponsored the carnival, but rather with some regard for the future when Whakatane will by virtue-of its initiative and energy earn for itself the reputation of being a live and progressive centre, well worth visiting and well worth patronising. The committee is now handling the project, and with barely three weeks in which to operate, relies on. the citizens to assist in the pub- 1 licity of the event, by talking of it, notifying friends of the various events, and by encouraging those from a distance to visit the town and enjoy themselves with the local community.