The Media Archive for Central England is the public screen archive for the East and West Midlands. An independent charity and company based at the University of Lincoln, MACE acquires, catalogues, preserves and makes widely available moving image materials that inform our understanding of the diverse cultures and histories of communities between the Lincolnshire coast and the Welsh border.
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Rocester Festival 1979
The Rocester Toppers and the Wakebourne Band ("...19 drums - one fiddle...") keep the carnival era alive in 1979.
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Overview
Rocester in Staffordshire is home to the JCB digger and the firm's vehicles feature in this film of the town's 1979 annual town festival, which was shot by Les Humphries. Topical references abound from the Dove Lane Dead End Kids, who are channelling the spirit of punk, to a float featuring the Post Office's then highly popular telephone bird 'Buzby'. However, as is common with carnivals, many other floats and costumes wouldn't have been out of place in the 1930s.
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