Made in Vincy Festival”, the first of its kind under this name, was held at the Black Point National Park, Saturday June 07.
The Festival was an exhibition of locally made products in a wonderful setting, that provided ample space for the exhibits as well as for patrons to enjoy the flavourful food and other delicacies, and to unwind to live and DJ Music.
There were more than 20 stalls and several more exhibitors as in some cases there were about three vendors in one stall. There was ample entertainment for the children, with bouncing castles, trampolines, face painting and ice cream.
Locally product
For the adults there was the savoury callalloo soup, BBQ’s, fruit cakes, banana bread, sweet bread and a variety of sea moss products.
The sweet bread was packaged attractively, and one could see that these products were works of art and love for our culture.
Special mention must be made of the presentations of the locally made rum punch. The rum punch sampled was the Citrus punch which has a deceptively smooth taste that resembles both Seville Sweet and Tangerine. There was also our growing line-up of rum punches including peanut rum punch.
One outstanding feature of all the exhibits of locally produced products was the packaging and labelling. The standard was so appealing and professional that a suggestion was made that the tourism promotions should also include the display of selected locally made products, e.g. rum punches, and especially our health products made from sea moss.
Cannabis and more
For the first time, exhibits of cannabis-based products were on display and sale. Two stalls drew the curiosity of savvy patrons, who were given samples once they asked. One comment overheard at the cannabis booth was, “What is happening here is long overdue, but better late than never!” Along with fresh, highly scented ‘buds’, there were also locally made gummies for persons who needed the effect without having to resort to smoking the dried herb.
The Forestry Division had a few specimens of our wildlife on display which was a point of keen interest, especially for children many who had never before seen a congo snake, manicou, iguana, parrot and agouti close up. Even adults were captivated by these animals of which they had heard about but never seen in real life. That aspect of the exhibition, to say the least, was well supported.
Also displaying their products were ECGC, FLOW and the St. Vincent Cooperative Bank, aka the “Penny Bank”.
Being an open-air activity there were a few pauses due to ‘passing clouds’, but that did not prevent local soca artiste Hance John from entertaining the patrons. The DJ, in between the music, also kept the patrons informed of the various booths and their offerings, and even invited some of the exhibitors/producers to give live advertisement and information about their products.
Extending the time
It would be unfair not to mention the security arrangements. Police presence was evident, from traffic control to patrol across the grounds, so children and adults felt safe.
In summary, it was a great outing and fulfilled its intention to give visibility to local manufacturers by providing an opportunity to showcase and sell their products.
Speaking with an official from the Ministry of Agriculture, it is hoped that similar activities will be replicated on the Leeward side of the island as well as in the Grenadines.
Given the reach of the activity, perhaps the organizers will give thought to staging the activity for the entire weekend instead of just one day.
All in all, a good shot!
Donald De Riggs
