The Greatest Show gets going
The official launch began on the waterfront and there were no fireworks-just a damp squib.
“The Greatest Show On earth” has officially started. A large crowd turned out to an event touted as the “official launch” of Carnival 2010 on January 14 in the spanking new ampitheatre at the “International Waterfront” in Port-of-Spain.
However, one patron said that Carnival began since Boxing Day. “This is just the Government launch,” he remarked derisively when TnTinsider asked his opinion of the show.
In fact, the dozens of Carnival fetes that take place every year started even before Christmas, with several of the more popular bands launching their presentations. Some are already sold out, which comes as no surprise as Carnival 2010 is a short season, ending in mid-February. Usually, Carnival falls in late February, and sometimes in early March.
Criticism aside, the crowd, in typical Trini fashion, enjoyed the show. The trick of placing “invited guests” closest to the stage, while keeping the pubic (read hecklers) some distance away did not work: The North Stand posse became the Fountain Crew and heckled anyway. Mercifully, they did not boo any of the performers.
Ironically, it was the invited guests that brought embarrassment to the organizers. Close to the end of the show, just after the lukewarm applause for Pamberi steelband, the MC started to make a grand announcement: a pannist was about to play an electronic pan, but a technical glitch caused some delay.
The invited guests seemed to have had enough of the waiter-served eats and drinks, and began leaving their seats despite the MC urging them not to “walk out on the national instrument.” By the time the embarrassed pannist had booted up to play, all chairs were empty.
The Crayon Crew
The “Crayon Crew,” that large group of young people seen at every Carnival event all waving oversized crayolas, is fast becoming an institution on the Carnival scene.
The crew recently hosted a “Crayon Cruise” on the Treasure Queen. Members demonstrated to bathers at Chagville, officers on duty at Teteron Bay, inmates at Carrera Island Prison, and occupants of the island homes of Monos, that they are now a force to be reckoned with when it comes to partying: Patrons enjoyed four hours of incident-free fun.
Dreadlocked Soca Magistrate
Fete lovers at the annual “We Fete” hosted by the Public Service Credit Union (PSCU) at St. John’s Hall, Port-of-Spain, were treated to heavy social and political commentary at the event’s calypso competition segment.
A total of ten contestants did battle for cash prizes and a challenge trophy.
Contestant Eric James, the “Dreadlocked Soca Magistrate,” brought down his lyrical gavel on the crime situation with his calypso “Justice,” and walked away as PSCU’s Calypso Champ for 2010.
Colin Mc Millan of Tobago took second place with his calypso “High Blood Pressure,” which described how the country’s problems could affect one’s health.
Defending Champion Sheldon Nugget called for better treatment of physically disabled citizens in his composition “Special People,” and earned third place.
Other contestants were Wendy Small- Bartholomew, and Michael Parry, who both described how staff and members benefit from their involvement in the credit union; Francisca Lewis-Francois, who sang about the “Family”; Stacy Andrea Pierre, who begged motorists to be careful in her song “Take Your Time”; Walton Barker, with his hard commentary “Tell It Like It Is”; Dwight Phillip, who moved the audience with “We Moving”; and Zuba Phillip with a composition about life in “Sweet Tobago.”