Her Excellency Lady Cooke cuts the ribbon to open the third Home and Garden Expo while president of the Jamaica Manufacturer's Association, Clarence Clarke and Minister of Tourism and Industry Aloun N'Dombet Assamba look on. - Michael Sloley /Freelance Photographer "THE DISPLAYS were excellent and entertainment great."
These were some of the comments made by those who visited the Health, Home, Garden and Food festival held at the Chinese Benevolent Society on the weekend.
Kevin Taylor on keyboard, a mento band and Lloyd Folkes were among those who provided music while patrons flocked to stalls which included a new feature of the annual event - food stalls.
Boston jerk, shrimp, Chinese, sushi, pastry, vegetarian stalls did brisk business.
Minister of Tourism and Industry Aloun N'Dombet Assamba, who gave the guest address at the opening of the event, has praised the convenors of the expo for making an important contribution to entertainment fit for the family. They are also to be commended for doing so in the capital city, she said.
At the opening ceremony of the exposition, held last Thursday, Minister Assamba said, "If we could offer more of this we could find ourselves becoming a more gentler society."
She added, "I want to see the market for Jamaicans enjoying what Jamaica grows. These events are just ways in which we are ensuring that our tourism product becomes more diverse."
She stated also that more of these family-oriented events should be held in Kingston, although she admitted that "all was not well" in the capital city. In respect of reducing crime, Minister Assamba stated that there was much work to do and that all members of society, not just the security forces and relevant ministries, had a role to play.
The Health, Home and Garden expo, held under the distinguished patronage of Her Excellency Lady Ivy Cooke between Friday, November 29 and Sunday, December 1 at the Chinese Benevolent Association Centre, is in its third year of staging.
Nearly 80 booths featured talks, demonstrations and displays on decorating and gardening. There was also sessions on Women's Health, Men's Health and visitors were able to do blood pressure, cholesterol, diabetes and other physical checks on the expo's 'Health Street'.
The expo's food festival drew on several culinary traditions from parishes across the island, including Boston's Jerk. An artist's village featuring Jamaican art and craft was also represented there. Several financial institutions also used the opportunity to introduce their services to the visiting public.
Items on sale ranged from small gifts to motor vehicles, as two of the major motor companies displayed their latest models at the show.
"It is not just women who dream of these things," said Minister Assamba at the opening, referring to the decorating and gardening aspects of the show.
- Avia Ustanny
