Last year I wrote about how I was disappointed with the low turnout every year for the most important part of our August Emancipation Festival. This year, the service at the Sunday Morning Well had more than three times as many attendees as last year. I was very happy, but I still would like to see more people there in the future.

 

The August Monday Parade was good, but there were too many gaps between entries. The police force did a great job.

The Miss BVI Pageant this year was great. Previously, however, I complained that in the 2004 parade the former queens had to ride on a boat trailer with their feet dragging on the ground, and I asked organisers to provide good transportation this year. Unfortunately, I heard that the transportation last week wasn’t much better — and the queens almost didn’t get any transportation at all. This was very poor planning.

Meanwhile, those photos of the former queens at the Road Town Roundabout are a bad idea. We have the worst drivers in the Caricom nations, and many of them will be looking at the photos instead of looking at the traffic. And the people who walk around the roundabout to see the photos are as bad as the drivers: They are blocking traffic and can get run over.

My daughter, Miss BVI 1996 Melinda Penn, is pictured there, and I will never see it if I am driving. I will not look, and I will never walk in traffic to see it. I am not that stupid.

USVI troupes

I also heard that a cost of about $10,000 hindered bringing the troupes from the United States Virgin Islands. That would have helped big up our Festival. They were very much missed, especially in East End/Long Look.

The parades also need to start on time, as in the USVI. Many of our USVI brothers and sisters have to catch the 2:30 p.m. boat to go back. The EE/LL parade did not start until after 3 p.m.

Earlier that morning, the EE/LL Rise and Shine Tramp could not go by the bridge because of road construction which could have been finished weeks ago if the contractor worked 24 hours a day, like in every other country when work is under way on a major road.

At least this year I did not see any late pregnant women in the tramp, or little babies in strollers.

In the future, I’d like to see organisers bring back the diving, swimming and boat races in EE/LL.

In Carrot Bay, I was disappointed that they didn’t start the donkey races until after 4 p.m., so I left.

Next year, please stop calling the international calypso night the international soca night. Soca music is a joke compared to calypso. Calypsonians need more talent.

Finally, government, if you have to cut back with the Festival community funds, let organisers know by January so they’ll have time to find sponsorship in order to keep dances, fish fries and other events.

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