Jamaica Day attracts large crowd By Eddie Grant, Gleaner Writer
TORONTO: TAKE A few thousand peace-loving Jamaicans, their families and friends, surround them with the sound of sweet reggae music, aromas, food, laughter and language of their culture, and place all of this in a park-like setting on a hot sunny weekend, and it would be difficult to believe you were not in Jamaica itself. On entering the ground of Keelsdale Park recently for the annual Jamaica Day celebrations, you were immediately greeted with the aroma of freshly cooked curried goat and jerk chicken filling the air. Presented by Independent Promotion in association with a host of other sponsors including the North American Weekly Gleaner and Star, the 11th annual celebration attracted an estimates 10,000 persons. Jamaicans from all walks of life came out to be part of their home country's celebration. Although many arrived as early as noon when the official ceremony was due to take place, the majority of the crowd did not start arriving until around 6 p.m. in time to be treated by the main performers of the day including headline artists Marcia Griffiths and Half Pint. Jamaica's Consul General to Toronto, Stewart Stephenson, speaking at the official opening ceremony said, "This is the largest turnout of Jamaicans I have seen since I arrive in Toronto. The Jamaica Day celebration seems to be a successful event, and I want to thank the organisers for doing a wonderful job in keeping the country's flag flying." Other speeches came from Toronto Councillor Joe Mihevc, a representative of the area, Archbishop Delores Seivright who prayed for a peaceful and successful event, and Cornel "Funky" Davis, president of the organisation. The day, as in previous years, was divided into two parts. The first part belonged to the families, who brought their youngsters out for a day of fun, while part two was for the adult party goers who came to enjoy the afternoon concert. The youngsters were entertained by several performers in their age group including "De Baddest Brats" and singing sisters Simona and Melica, who were quite entertaining. Part two offered entertainment by a galaxy of home-grown performers including Juno Award Winner, Len Hammond, Polly Pumpy, Donna Makeda, Tasha T, Mr. Cooper, Devon Irie, Jimmy Reid, Mercia Bunting, Georgette and Bush Rat, all backed by the Xplosion Band, a reggae band which is making waves in the entertainment circle in Toronto. After a short break, it was time for the two headline artists, Half Pint and Marcia Griffiths, to make their appearance. To the surprise of many, Griffiths was the first to perform. A very popular performer who has a strong fan base here in Toronto, she was loudly cheered as she was introduced. Griffiths wasted little time in thrilling the audience, which by then had grown to several thousands. Among the songs which had the crowd rocking were "Dreamland", "Truly", "Want To Be Closer", "Fire Burning", "I Shall Sing", "Reggae Bring Back Love" (a song made popular by Morgan Heritage) "Stepping Out Of Babylon", and a host of other popular songs. She also paid tribute to the late great Robert Nesta Marley with her version of "Bend Down Low". As usual, the fans did not want to see her go, but time was of the essence, and Half Pint was waiting in the wings to close the show. He too was well received by the audience, and repaid them by giving a crowd-pleasing performance. MC for the event was Beverly Binns, former JBC Radio broadcaster.
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