THE REVELLERS TURNED out in their numbers for the inaugural Orange Hill Carnival in St James on Monday in what proved to be four hours of fun and frolic.
The jump, wave, wine and tremble event was scheduled to have started at 10 a.m. but never got going until almost an hour later.
However, this did not deter the merrymakers, whom organiser Shellyann Hinds said were prepared to wait.
“It was a success, it went well,” said Hinds, a resident of Orange Hill, who was the sole driving force behind the event which attracted around 250 people.
The party-goers, who jumped behind the music truck to the popular songs from this year’s Crop Over, were disciplined and maintained order on the road.
A number of policemen were on hand to keep an eye on proceedings.
One of the participants, Patrick Webster Worrell, was very happy with Hinds’ efforts and lauded her for singlehandedly pulling off the event.
“Next year, I plan to get involved and to bring along a number of the surrounding districts, Sion Hill, Weston, the Garden, Westmoreland, Redman’s Village and others.
“I would like to see it become an all-inclusive event”, he added, where revellers would pay one fee which would cover everything, including food and drinks.
Some of the patrons loudly applauded Hinds, pointing out that she had been able to plan and execute an activity which turned out to be more successful that similar events staged in other communities which had far more residents.
The street jump-up provided an opportunity for a few small businesspeople who turned out to sell items ranging from snacks to cold drinks.
Some of the revellers later retired to the playing field in Orange Hill with the DJ on the music truck promising that the party would continue from there.
Hinds promised the carnival will be repeated next year, and is hoping for it to be bigger and better. (ES)
