The 1990 entry ‘Halloween’ attended the 1991 Lord Mayor’s Easter Parade in London, the second and final time the club attended, and was transported there on a low loader, minus roof, tractor and generator trailer! ‘Cocktail Cabaret’, 1992’s entry was less than spectacular largely due to ongoing poor building conditions and the club having less than 20 members. Similarly, ‘Flash’ represented a more limited effort, but had 5000 lamps, a 475 KVA generator and flashing lights run by computer (until rain at Shepton Mallet!). 1994’s entry ‘Ole Flamenco’ symbolised a great improvement from the previous year’s entry, and was placed 1st in the local feature class at Wells carnival and 2nd at Shepton Mallet and Glastonbury. The float won numerous awards at the Mid-Somerset Gangs and Features ceremony. A potential high placing in Bridgwater carnival was ruined by a rare generator failure at Cornhill, although the entry still achieved 6th place in the open feature class (the club’s next major power failure didn’t occur until North Petherton 2004!). The entry featured flamenco dancers, bull fighters, tambourines and model bulls made by the king of model makers, Rex Ball. The float also featured in a Christmas parade through Wells and in the Street Christmas Carnival which was held a couple of times near Christmas in the mid-1990s. Maintaining 1994’s good form, the club’s 30th anniversary effort in 1995, ‘Clowns on Parade’, designed by Mike Andrews, won 3rd place in open feature at Bridgwater, and Bones got his lights flashing at last! The float also featured three 9’ high, 7’ wide giant model clowns, again made by Rex Ball. Mendip Vale’s 1997 entry, ‘Devil’s Dance’ was another high-standard feature entry which incorporated Griffens-style costumes on a Wills-style float! ‘Psychedelia’, the 1998 float, didn’t make it to Bridgwater carnival as it wasn’t finished in time. An appearance would arguably have gained a top 4 placing in the open feature class. The float was a light and colour fantasy portraying a contemporary interpretation of a famous, fictional picture of natural life painted by Michael Valer!
2000’s ‘One Tooth Willy (The Scourge of the Sea)’ was a particularly problematic year and the float was unable to attend Bridgwater and Burnham-on-Sea carnivals as it was not completed in time (it went around at North Petherton however!). ‘One Tooth Willy’ was played by founder member Gwilym Harris making his first appearance on the float since 1986. The newly purchased Massey Ferguson tractor, to replace the less powerful Fordson Major, wasn’t fully decorated in time so the club had an undecorated tractor in the processions for the first time since 1987. Lack of time meant that the generator trailer was decorated in only a basic way. 2001’s ‘Christmas Magic’ represented a much better entry than the previous year’s effort and performed reasonably well in the seven carnivals. The story was “after researching Greek mythology it has come to light that Santa delivers his presents by sleigh and a hot air balloon!!” A new generator trailer was also constructed this year to cope with the larger, more powerful units which were needed to increase float lighting, speakers and moving parts. It was decorated at speed in the three days prior to Bridgwater carnival. A recent high point was in 2002 when the club was placed 4th at Bridgwater carnival (open feature) (despite nearly not making it!), 1st at North Petherton (optional feature) and 2nd at Shepton Mallet and Wells carnivals (local feature), with the original and popular ‘Skool’s Out’ entry. The 2003 entry ‘Jester Show’ had over 40 moving parts, around 15,000 lamps, an 11-kilowatt sound system, 8km of cable and a 1 megawatt generator. The float took around 10 months to build after a major change in the float’s structure. It won two county cups for Best Dressed Tractor Driver and Typical Carnival Music. 2004’s ‘Palm Beach’ was a desert island fantasy featuring parrots, palm trees and moving suns, and boasted 15,000 lamps and a 1 megawatt generator, quite a contrast from the first float in 1965. Success was limited to two Best Dressed Tractor Driver prizes, three 4th positions in local feature classes and Chairman’s Choice at Wells. 2005 was the club’s 40th anniversary, 41st float entry and 22nd feature entry. Work got underway on the float in late November, and the main float and tractor were stripped completely and the tractor driver was moved to the front bottom of the tractor. A few feet of length was also removed from the back of the float to add to the length of the tractor. The entry ‘Fremont Street’ was a gambling theme, named after the famous street in Las Vegas, with the music of Madonna’s Gambler specially remixed for the entry. The club had a successful year as the float achieved 5th place in open feature at Bridgwater (the club’s highest placing since 2002) after only just making it again, 2nd in the optional feature class at North Petherton (11th in 2004!) and 3rd, 2nd and 3rd places respectively at Shepton Mallet, Wells and Glastonbury carnivals in the local feature class. The club also won 4 other cups at Wells carnival and 3 at the Mid-Somerset Gangs and Features presentation, taking the total to 10.The Club selected a design for a 2006 entry based on Starlight Express. However, by July it became clear that the Club was unable to enter the carnivals for the first time in the Club’s history. The Club’s shed became too unsuitable and unsafe in which to build a float and the shed was dismantled. The Club decided to participate in the carnivals through marshalling, judging, collecting and commentating on the official DVDs. A number of members also entered as individual masqueraders at Glastonbury and Weston-super-Mare carnivals.
The Club intends to enter some form of mounted entry for the 2007 season, but this relies on finding new land in the Wells area on which to construct a new shed. Club finances are strong and the Club has around 30 members.
The club has consistently won prizes since the late 1980s. The 2002 float ‘Skool’s Out’ is regarded by many in the club as Mendip Vale’s best entry to date. ‘Christmas Magic’ (2001), ‘Ole Flamenco’ (1994) and ‘Psychedelia’ (1998) also prove popular past entries.
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