Our Carnival History: 1990-1995

Continuing into the 1990’s the Harris Family seemed to be on a roll…

In 1990, the Harris Family entered Kenilworth Carnival as ‘Classical Strings’. Each member of the family was dressed in a black suit with a red cumber-band, each with their own ‘musical instrument’. The family ‘performed’ as though they were a real orchestra (on the back of the lorry). As an extra, every time the wedding tune came on the family threw confetti into the crowd.

Kate Conducted the orchestra, Joan was the Percussionist playing the Piano and the Drums, Jac, Ley, Fran, and Carole all played the Violins, Alice played the Violin and the Triangle, and Louise played the Cello.

This year’s entry meant lots of practice, in order to make it appear that the members were actually playing the cardboard instruments!



Classical Strings, 1990

In 1991, the Harris Family were back with their interpretation of a ‘Garden Party’. Based on the lyrics from the song ‘The Ugly Bug Ball’, each member of the family was a insect from the garden.  

Joan was a Bumble Bee, Carole was a Butterfly, Fran was a Lady bird, Alice was a Beetle, Kate was a Caterpillar, Louise was a Woodlouse and Sarah was a Spider. In the photographs we seem to have a Gardener on the lorry – I’ve no idea who that is!!

This is the first year that Sarah participated in the Carnival.



The Garden Party, 1991

In 1992, the Harris family entered as Glenn Miller (no one remembers the actual title for this year).  

Alice was Glenn Miller, Joan, Fran, Carole and Sarah were women, and Ley, Louise, Kate and Nicola were men.

This was Nicola’s only Carnival with the family, Kate got to wear a sailor’s uniform, and Louise ended up looking like Gomez Addams from the Addams Family, while Ley looked like GI Joe!

There were lots of practices for this theme too – as the family danced all the way round the Carnival procession to the sounds of Glenn Miller.

Glenn Miller, 1992

After Glenn Miller, for many reasons, the Harris family decided not to enter the Carnival together again. However, in 1995 the Harris Family did reunite for one last Carnival entry.

So in 1995, for their last ever Carnival as the Harris Family they entered as ‘the Blue Danube’.

Alex, Ley, Jac and Sara were the men, while Joan, Alice, Carole and Louise were the women.

Again, there were lots of practices learning how to Waltz, and the family danced all the way around the procession - this time to Strauss.

The Blue Danube, 1995

 From 1995 onwards, the majority of the family went back to being spectators and supporters.

A few members of the family (Alice, Fran, Joan and Carole) continued participating in Kenilworth Carnival as Fancy dress walkers, but that’s another chapter in the story…

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