Hatton Carnival 19th July 2008

Further to the Hatton Village Carnival report, we commented on the rush to get the parade away just as a violent rain storm broke, and also the fact that none of the organising committee made any attempt to make contact with the band during the five hours we were at the event.
The Hatton Village Carnival Chairman as taken the time to come forward and explain the reasons to me. This being the fact that the parade must adhere to the timed commencement because of the busy location and the nearby railway level crossing gates on the main road, and the shortage of staffing on the carnival field accounted for the failure to make contact with the band during our five hours at the event.
As this was the committees first attempt at organising the carnival in 11 years this was unfortunate and hopefully with the interest and support promised from locals, the carnival will go from strength to strength for future event, the ‘Musketeers’ would like to offer our best wishes for many more successful carnivals in Hatton.

Heading up the A50 for our first visit to Hatton Village Carnival on Saturday 19th July, for the midday parade commencing from the Nestle car park.
With the organises pushing to get the parade on the move without giving a thought to the impending dark clouds, for within our first three strides the skies opened with the heaviest rain storm I have certainly experienced in my band life, with the wind blowing the downpour straight into our faces as we attempted to continue up the street into the main road lined with people. After about 7-8 minutes the downpour ceased as suddenly as it had started leaving a very wet and bedraggled parade of bands and floats to continue along the route in what was now a sunny Hatton.
If the Parade Marshall had taken the decision to delay the start off for a short time all this discomfort could have been avoided, the band had now to complete the parade route and then hang around some four hours before being required to perform in the arena at 4:30 just before the event closed at 5:00pm.
These heavy showers alternated with brilliant sunshine throughout the afternoon without very much in the line of entertainment in the arena to keep the large crowd from vacating the recreation ground, so it was no surprise to find just a few hardened villagers prepared to stay for the bands performance and from the start of the parade to our departure, not one of the organisers of the event had made a move to speak to or approach the band members. Fortunately by the end of a very boring day the cool wind had just about dried out the uniforms in preparation for what we hoped would be a much brighter day at Cutthorpe Carnival back home.

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All comments written are purely an opinion of the event by members involved. These are not by any means intended as derogatory or defamatory in anyway to the organisors or the people involved.