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No to August 1 holiday; yes to activity at Stickett! - Potter-Warrican

Chairperson of the East End/Long Look Festival Committee, Ms Sandra Potter- Warrican said her committee will be exploring the idea of having an activity in the East End/Long Look area to open celebrations for the 2014 Virgin Islands Emancipation Festival as suggested by Deputy Premier and Seventh District Representative Dr. the Hon. Kedrick D. Pickering. Photo: VINO
The East End/Long Look Festival Committee is reporting a successful staging of activities for the 2013 Virgin Islands Emancipation Festival. One of the successes was the biggest ever parade this year. Photo: VINO
The East End/Long Look Festival Committee is reporting a successful staging of activities for the 2013 Virgin Islands Emancipation Festival. One of the successes was the biggest ever parade this year. Photo: VINO
LONG LOOK, Tortola, VI - Chairperson of the East End/Long Look Festival Committee, Ms Sandra Potter-Warrican is in support of the suggestion by the Deputy Premier and Minister for Natural Resources and Labour, Dr the Honourable Kedrick D. Pickering, to have an activity at The Stickett in Long Look to open celebrations for Virgin Islands Emancipation Festival.

However, Ms Potter-Warrican is not for August 1 being declared a public holiday as Minister for Communications and Works Hon. Mark H. Vanterpool is in support of.

In an exclusive interview with Virgin Islands News Online, Ms Potter-Warrican said while she does not support the suggestion for August 1 to be declared another holiday in the Virgin Islands she thinks the idea suggested by Hon. Pickering has merit. “I am going to sit with him (Hon Pickering) and see what are his thoughts and see how we can make it all part of the 60th Anniversary Celebrations in East End/Long Look.”

Explaining her reason for not supporting the idea of August 1 being a public holiday throughout the Commonwealth Caribbean countries, Ms Potter-Warrican said “Another holiday might be a bit too much but I think that something significant can be done on that day since that was the day that the proclamation was read and so on.”

EE/LL Festival activities a success

Meanwhile, the Organizing Committee for the East End/Long Look Festival activities of 2013 said while it didn’t anticipate much challenges, the planned activities went well this year and witnessed the biggest ever parade.

Ms Potter-Warrican further said the committee intends to start planning for 2014 much earlier than they did for this year. The strategy that the committee is planning to implement for the observance of the 60th Anniversary of the VI Festivals is to put together some special committees.

“We are going to be putting a committee in place with some of the older heads in East End/Long Look, at least that’s what I hope to do to make the parade even bigger and more cultural because that’s what people have been asking for,” said Ms Potter-Warrican.

The committee would also be working towards pulling off a special pageant that will feature the more mature adults in addition to the regular Miss East End/Long Look Pageant. “We are going to be looking at that along with few other ideas.”

“This year we didn’t expect too many problems, the problems were few. The parade went off very well. In fact, we were very pleased with that. Activities in the village were good too. The only drawback was the Tuesday night when the rains came down. I thought it would have dampened and hampered everything but I was pleased to see the amount of people who were determined to stay and enjoy the music,” said Ms Potter-Warrican.

The highlights during the period of challenges during the EE/LL festival activities, according to Ms Potter-Warrican, were the show of determination by persons who were eager for entertainment and those who insisted that the Rise and Shine Tramp go on despite the rains.

“There were lots of rains and despite we got off to the late start the police cooperated with us and we had the largest Jouvert tramp ever despite the fact that it moved very fast,” she said.

“Especially when Eric Donaldson came to the stage I was at awe to see how many umbrellas moved towards the stage and they stayed right through. But when the even great showers came I really thought the Rise and Shine would have been washed out,” Ms Potter-Warrican told Virgin Islands News Online.

11 Responses to “No to August 1 holiday; yes to activity at Stickett! - Potter-Warrican”

  • . (14/08/2013, 08:07) Like (13) Dislike (9) Reply
    This eastend thing is a "waste ah time"
    • Ummmm (14/08/2013, 11:04) Like (5) Dislike (4) Reply
      ........and money!
      • .....um (15/08/2013, 09:08) Like (2) Dislike (1) Reply
        Ya'll keep off east if town and carrot bay could celebrate let us have ours, carrot bay is a waste of time to. tell your sons and daughters the jouvert is a waste of time .....
  • the rock (14/08/2013, 08:11) Like (5) Dislike (22) Reply
    We agree with you any day Sandra!!!!
  • ... (14/08/2013, 08:34) Like (6) Dislike (0) Reply
    I too thought that the minister's suggestion of opening the festivities in East End was a good idea. However, in retrospect and after reading some of the comments on the matter, I now feel like the committee should focus on developing the activities already under their charge. Perhaps an early morning service at the sticket followed by a cultural food fair and end with the parade all on the Wednesday. I think this maybe more interesting and gets more people involved than to focus on a whole other day and activity to spend more money unnecessarily. I hope to get in touch with the Minister and the chairperson to share my thoughts on this as well.
  • wongchichi (14/08/2013, 09:07) Like (3) Dislike (5) Reply
    How In The HELLLLLLL do you propose there be activities at a location where nothing positive has been done in forever. 2 executions, possible illicit activities, not one arrest done in or around the area. But somehow you want to utilize it for emancipation celebrations. NUH
    • Sunday Morning Well (14/08/2013, 11:25) Like (4) Dislike (0) Reply
      If your arguments had been used, there wouldn't be any Festival activity at the Sunday Morning Well as there has been violence in the past, at that site.
      The suggestion of a meaningful activity (and it doesn't necessarily have to be on August 1st or the opening of Festival) at the Stickett is a great one. Kedrick, Sandra and the EE/LL community please don't let this opportunity pass.
      • wongchichi (14/08/2013, 16:45) Like (1) Dislike (0) Reply
        The well was cleaned up the loiterers and most the trouble makers moved on after crackdowns from police. lets get things into perspective. Gotta clean up before you do what they wanna do
    • Wonderwoman (15/08/2013, 15:04) Like (3) Dislike (0) Reply
      That location is where the first slaves were EVER given land. That is why he said it should be where our EMANCIPATION festival should begin. You ppl on these blogs are numb to history.
  • zan (14/08/2013, 09:28) Like (3) Dislike (0) Reply
    @... the chairperson sandra potter does work @ ZBVI Radio. maybe if you use to tune in you would ve hear her on the almanac.funeral announcement,commercials and on saturday morning knowledge is power hour!
  • vex (14/08/2013, 11:17) Like (1) Dislike (3) Reply
    why would mark need a extra hoilday?? strupppsssss


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