Newspaper Article 1964 – Hastings Festival Draws Wide Interest

HASTINGS FESTIVAL DRAWS WIDE INTEREST

50,000 MAY VIEW PROCESSION

The big day of the Blossom Festival week is Saturday – the day of the procession – for this is when the special trains will arrive from the south and from Gisborne in the north.

It is the day on which the population of Hastings, if the weather is fine, is likely to grow to 50,000 or 60,000 people.

Entertainment has to be found for these people and a special effort has been made to provide this.

This year’s procession will involve a double effort, for at 10.30 there will be a special procession arranged by the Hawke’s Bay branch of the Vintage and Veteran Car Clubs of New Zealand. There will be 20 entries in this procession, including an 1898 Benz. This 66-year-old car is still in going order, and among other entries will be vehicles dating from 1908 (an old Minerva) to 1929.

WELL SUPPORTED

As usual, children’s entrants will be assembled at Windsor Park at 1 p.m., and contrary to rumour, the main procession has been well supported. Though some of the “old stalwarts” will be missing, there will be plenty of variety and quality in the 41 floats which have been entered, and which will be interspersed with 13 bands and six marching bands.

Leading the procession will be the Hastings Salvation Army Band, which according to the president of Greater Hastings, Mr. H. B. Poppelwell has been given pride of place because of the loyal support which the Salvation Army has given to this procession during the years.

The guest band will be the 50 – strong band of the 7th Battalion (Hawke’s Bay – City of Wellington’s own) Royal New Zealand Infantry, and this will give a special display at the park.

Entertainment at Windsor Park will start at 11.30 a.m. with a display by members of the Richmondvale Archery Club. At 1.45 p.m. the Mayor, Mr. R. V. Giorgi, will distribute the cups for the winning floats.

For possibly the first time in New Zealand, a rolling pin throwing contest will be conducted for married women at 2. p.m.

This will be conducted in the oval and should provide spectacular entertainment. These contests are conducted successfully overseas. For the longest throw there will be good prizes.

The feature of the afternoon entertainment at the park will be a display by the Syncrobatic Motor Cycle team from Palmerston North. These four riders were formerly members of the N.Z. Army Royal Provost Corps Motor Cycle display team which presented a successful amateur act. Since forming themselves into the Syncrobatic Motor Cycle team they have developed a highly specialised professional act. They will present 45 minutes of balancing and comedy riding on 300cc motor cycles.

Massed bands and marching displays will also be presented in the oval.

In different arenas, an exhibition will be given by members of the Y.M.C.A. and Simmonds acrobatic troupe from Napier. A display which was very popular last year will be presented again this year by the Canine Club. The Hastings Open-air Skating Club will open its roller hockey skating championships at 2 p.m. with the finals being held at 7 p.m. on their rinks.

FUN IN STREETS

Heretaunga street will be closed to traffic from 6 p.m. till 10 p.m. Street entertainment will be provided by the Latter Day Saints concert party, and the Open Air Gospel Crusaders. Outdoor films will be shown in Heretaunga street.

AT NIGHT

Dances will be held in all halls, The Hastings Horticultural Society’s floral exhibition in the Apple and Pear Board’s building in King street will be open from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Four special trains will arrive on Saturday morning, the first at 12.01 a.m. from Wellington. Two further excursions from Wellington will arrive at 7.40 a.m. and 7.53 a.m. The train from Gisborne will arrive at 8.35 a.m.

Photo caption – Key Post Mr John Minty secretary-organiser of Greater Hastings.

FESTIVAL’S FLORAL COURTS

One of the highlights of the Hastings Blossom Festival week is undoubtedly the Hastings Horticultural Society’s floral courts display and Spring flower show, which opens on Thursday. This colourful floral feast will attract thousands of visitors until it closes on Saturday night.

It is now 10 years since the society held its first floral courts exhibition and each year the high standard originally set, has been bettered. This year will be no exception.

The society’s secretary, Mrs. W. Watson, stated that there would be courts in the Apple and Pear Board’s cool store in King Street representing 20 women’s organisations, and this year the society’s own exhibit would be “The Earth’s Awakening.” Last year, the society displayed a Devon cottage and water garden, and Mrs. Watson is confident this year’s attraction will create just as much interest.

SPECIAL DISPLAYS

Special displays of daffodils, cyclamen, polyanthus and other flowers are to be made by exhibitors from as far as Hawera, Masterton and Feilding, while Taradale’s Mayor, Mr. A. W. Miller, will again be showing some of the blooms for which his garden is famed.

The Horticultural Society’s show is truly a salute to Spring, and if the pattern of the previous years is followed, some 30,000 people will inspect the display.

The Mayor, Mr. R. V. Giorgi will officially open the display at 2 p.m. on Thursday and among the special guests will be the 1964 Blossom Queen and her two maids of honour.

Procession floats assemble at Queens Square at 10 a.m. and the judging will be completed 45 minutes later. The procession will move off at 11 a.m. irrespective of weather conditions prevailing at that hour.

Army of police and traffic officers

Most people will be on holiday on Saturday, but the day will provide hard work for a miniature army of police and traffic officers.

The full staff of the Hastings police force will be on duty during the day or night and there will be police on duty on the special trains from Wellington and Gisborne.

The excellent behaviour of the public during the last two years has prompted a confident belief on the part of the Police Force that no trouble will be experienced this year, but if any does arise, there will be the full complement of police and traffic officers to deal with it.

As in past years, Chief Inspector J. M. Bourke has made an appeal to the public not to crowd the roads on the procession route and he has emphasised that standing on the top of shop verandahs is not only contrary to the city by-laws, but is a dangerous practice.

The chief traffic officer, Mr. L. R. Jones, expected he would have at least 32 regular traffic officers and 78 auxiliary officers on duty. He said that, in addition, men from Napier, Wairoa, Waipukurau, Dannevirke, and others from the Wellington, Wanganui, and Manawatu areas would be maintaining a 48-hour patrol during the coming weekend.