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Knottingley Carnival Facts, Page 3
POP IDOL, BILLY J. KRAMER, 1967
In 1967 the Carnival was restored to its regular venue,
Knottingley Playing Fields, where large crowds turned up to
witness pop idol Billy J. Kramer, crown the Queen prior to the
commencement of the sports which featured an increased number of
events that year, as a press photograph showing Councillor
Charlie Tate with an array of 20 trophies for the various events
revealed. A Baby Show was also introduced as a new Carnival
feature.
CRITICISM, 1967
The 1967 Carnival aroused considerable criticism from a section
of the public. Letters in the local newspaper complained
about the cost of entry, the lack of entertainment, and poor
organisation, particularly with regard to the Carnival Sports.
Dissatisfaction was also voiced concerning the highly priced
refreshments available.
GENE PITNEY, 1968
The dedication of the minority, and the popularity of the
Carnival amongst the general public ensured its continuation and
in April 1968, Miss Ellen Reynolds was selected at a Town Hall
function as Queen designate with Miss Sharon Burton as her
deputy.
The American singing star, Gene Pitney, opened the 1968 Carnival in bright
sunshine at the Playing Fields where, accompanied by the Silver Prize
band, he sang the ‘Star Spangled Banner’ before crowning the Queen.
MISFORTUNE, 1969
Misfortune dogged the Carnival in 1969 when David Whitfield, a chart
topping tenor heartthrob who had agreed to crown the Queen, Miss Nancy
Lindley, was unavoidably detained on a tour of Australia. The Carnival
Committee were, however, able to secure the Leeds United and international
goalkeeper, Gary Sprake, as a late replacement. Unfortunately, Sprake was
taken ill at almost the last moment and had to withdraw so the local M.P.,
Mr. George Jager, opened the event.
WRESTLING DISTURBANCES, 1969
Professional wrestling bouts were a new feature of the
Carnival in 1969. However, the event seems to have inflamed the
passions of an unruly element with two women interrupting a bout by
climbing into the ring. Eyewitnesses later stated that they had
seen the girls fighting outside the ring prior to the
interruption of the contest. The incident appears to have
prompted wider disturbances with clashes between local youths
and the police which, fortunately taking place towards the end
of the carnival day, blighted, rather than ruined, the occasion.
RETURN TO CORONATION STREET, 1970
The first year of the new decade featured Miss Margaret Rhodes as
Carnival Queen and a return to Coronation Street for a guest start to
crown her. In fact Graham Habberfield who played ‘Gerry Booth’ in
the television series, crowned the Queen three times! Realising
he had placed the crown the wrong way around on the head of the
Queen, ‘Gerry’ removed it and re-crowned her, claiming a second
legal kiss for so doing. Unfortunately, the crown promptly feel
off into the lap of the Queen so she was duly crowned a third
time and ‘Gerry’ took a third kiss as a reward for his
ineptitude (or stratagem?)
RICHARD WHITELEY, 1971
Miss Hazel Williamson was the Queen in 1971 and was crowned by Richard Whiteley of Yorkshire Television’s regional news review. ‘Calendar’.
Whiteley took advantage of the occasion to announce the engagement of the
Queen, thus making the event doubly memorable for all concerned.
DAVE LEE TRAVIS, 1972
Disappointingly, only four floats appeared in the Carnival procession of
1972. The event took place in Howards Field, drawing an attendance of
6,000 people and raising in excess of £1,000. The crowd witnessed the
crowning of the Queen, Miss Glynis Roby, by Dave Lee Travis, the B.B.C.
Radio One disc jockey.
SABOTEURS, 1972
The event was a great success and was made all the more
remarkable by the fact that malicious minded ‘saboteurs’ had
attempted to undermine the efforts of the Committee by placing
‘cancelled’ stickers over posters advertising the Carnival.
Furthermore, the anonymous ‘wreckers’ had telephoned members of
the Committee to inform them that Dave Lee Travis would not be
appearing. A further adversity concerning the event was the
failure of a local group, which had volunteered to man the
entrance gates, to turn up for duty.
RUGBY LEAGUE CHALLENGE CUP WINNER, 1973
The success of Featherstone Rovers in winning the Rugby League Challenge
Cup at Wembley in 1973 resulted in the team’s star international forward,
Knottingley born Jim Thompson, being invited to crown the Queen, Miss
Deborah Bradford, that year, a somewhat ironic gesture as Thompson had
played a significant part in ‘de-crowning’ Bradford [Northern] at Wembley
a few weeks earlier.
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