THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, August 20, 1995 TAG: 9508170160
SECTION: CHESAPEAKE CLIPPER PAGE: 16 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY REBECCA A. MYERS, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 77 lines
With the enticing aroma of West Indian cuisine wafting through the air and the enchanting beat of calypso music resonating off the water, Riverfront Park will be transformed into a tropical island paradise for a few hours next Saturday.
It's the city's first Caribbean Family Fest, to be held from 4 to 8 p.m. Aug. 26 at the foot of High Street.
``Last year, the mayor of Portsmouth declared Aug. 31 as Steel Band Day, and this is the closest Saturday to that,'' said Marsha Hardee of No Limits, the company helping to organize the event.
Also involved is West Indies United, a group of about 300 South Hampton Roads residents of West Indian descent. The West Indies are the islands that extend from near southern Florida to the northern coast of Venezuela.
``I believe if once a year we can show off what we have, that will be nice,'' said Patrick Sanderson of Grenada, an island about 90 miles north of Trinidad. ``That's the objective of (this festival).''
For years, West Indies United has tried to get a similar event off the ground but has been unsuccessful because most of their members are in the military, said Sanderson, a Navy lieutenant commander.
``They come and go quite a bit, so that has created most of the problems,'' he said.
The idea became a reality last month after Sanderson's group hooked up with No Limits, which handles Portsmouth's pan project.
At the invitation of West Indies United, whose members include about 90 soccer players, the Pan Parrot Steel Band performed during halftime at a match between the U.S. Olympic Soccer Team and the Trinidad National Team.
``It's so nice to know that American kids are playing in a steel band because the steel band is part of our culture,'' said Sanderson. ``And to see American kids playing the pans, it's very exciting.''
Sanderson hopes that West Indies United and No Limits will be able to forge a long-term relationship to develop culture in the area.
Organizers hope to draw close to 1,500 people to Portsmouth for the festival. Members of West Indies United will prepare exotic dishes native to their homeland, including curried goat, curried chicken, roti, peas and rice, mauby and sorrel.
``Curried goat is regular goat meat cooked in a curry sauce and served over rice,'' said Sanderson. ``It's one of the main staples in the Caribbean.''
Roti, he said, is equivalent to a Mexican burrito. It can be filled with meat, potatoes, vegetables or a combination of all three.
Mauby and sorrel are Caribbean drinks made from trees.
``Mauby is made from the bark of a tree. You boil the bark and it's very strong, but you add some water to taste,'' said Sanderson. ``You add some cinnamon, and you make a drink of it. It's the equivalent of sassafras.''
Sorrel is made from the buds of a tree that blooms once a year. The buds are dried and boiled, then made into a drink.
``We're looking at $5 a plate for the rice and peas, the salad and a serving of curry goat or chicken or maybe even fish,'' said Sanderson.
The four-hour event is being billed as a ``family affair.'' A three-legged race is planned, along with a dominoes tournament and a ``lime in a spoon'' race.
Those attending are asked to come in carnival costumes.
``The event is really `anything goes,' '' said Sanderson. ``Whatever you have, come with it. If you have Indian headgear, we have that in the Caribbean as well because we're part of the American Indian culture.''
Musical entertainment will be provided by Caribbean Man, Jahlov, the Pan Parrot Steel Band and the Trinidad and Tobago Pan Trio.
Proceeds from the festival will benefit the Pan Parrot Steel Band Project as well as the West Indies United Soccer Club of Virginia. For more information, call 393-1221. ILLUSTRATION: Staff photo by JIM WALKER
Steel band player Dennis Freeman practices while Colin ``Roots''
Stephen helps Emrys Scott-Murrell. The band will play at the
Caribbean Family Fest.
by CNB