Many of the older readers of The Journal may well remember after the war when Friday night was Carnival night in Midsomer Norton. The carnival, run by a pro-active committee, including Maurice Davis, saw the making of the County Circuit, together with the cups which are still presented today, one of the main trophies being the Midsomer Norton Cup.
With the carnival's demise in 1960, it took until 1975 to once again put Midsomer Norton back on the map.
The carnival night of today is a Thursday night, but county status has always been refused. There are many reasons that this is so, the main one being that it meant four nights on the trot for the entries, which is very tiring indeed for all concerned.
Things may now be about to change and this is the reason for a special meeting, due to be confirmed in next week's paper.
Bridgwater Carnival has moved to a Saturday night now and this has meant that the following carnivals have had to change dates to accommodate this (all our local carnival nights will stay the same). The outcome is that the Monday before Shepton Mallet carnival is now free and could be taken by Midsomer Norton and, once again, possibly be a County Carnival, with all the large floats that miss the town at the moment.
The proposal to change nights will not see an overnight miracle and many decisions have to be made, but it could be a new start with a blank canvas, as long as it has a strong committee behind it to see it through.
To become a County Carnival, the procession must include Westfield, Midsomer Norton and, if at all possible, Radstock.
The park-up area must be big enough to contain all those that could potentially require parking at Midsomer Norton and must not be located in a residential housing estate.
The dispersal area must also be of a suitable size and gradient and in the correct location to allow onward travel.
As can be seen, a lot must be done in the next two years if this is going to happen. Talks with many carnivalites have given a very positive result.
There are a lot of issues to be discussed and thought about before the meeting, so please put your thinking caps on and bring them along to the meeting, date and venue to be confirmed in next week's Journal. This has been the Holy Grail for many people over the years, so please come and make it a reality.
Allan Curtis