We worked our way down Horse Hill and passed along the Joes River descent which bears no pleasant memories for Crop Over fans after many happy, fun-loving people lost their lives on that ill-fated Party Monarch Sunday.
As we completed the course around the tenuous bends with those haunting memories still embedded in our minds we soon emerged at the corner immediately north of the St Elizabeth Primary School.
The signs of festive activity were evident as scores of folks lined the street and music of the season emanated from the sound system. We were on another mission somewhere in Bathsheba, so we headed down hill to the east of the famous surfing centre referred to as the Soup Bowl. Our mission completed, we quickly reclimbed the hill to enquire of the celebratory action at this corner.
The folks who had gathered at the corner and inside the Gaggs Hill Rum Shop were ready to tell their story. One of the gentlemen who was liming in the road greeted us very cordially and informed us that this spot was like a city to them. He said that it was the meeting point for many northerners and folks from the east end of Barbados. He listed it as follows as he pointed to the various directions:
“People from St Peter, St Lucy and St Andrew find their way here and Transport Board buses drop them here. Folks from St Philip, St John and St George also find it easy to come down here.”
We were invited into the shop to meet proprietor Sonia Linton. Young looking, pleasant and somewhat stylish, she was extremely accommodating and endowed with the personality to keep her customers coming back.
The shop has been under her management for the last four years. Sonia was quick to advise us that the shop was rich in history for it was celebrating 100 years of existence at its Gaggs Hill location. The shop which was recently painted and branded by the bottlers of local beer Banks was so well kept and so beautifully painted that its attractiveness would not have given any indication that it was far older that anyone who was celebrating at this spot that Saturday.
The folks had been assembled from as early as 8:30 in the morning and Sonia had been there to ensure her customers were well treated. When we met her sometime after 9 in the evening she was still calm and unruffled. She was clearly enjoying the chores of the day.
Not only was this a celebration of 100 years it was also a tribute to the bright new attractive look.
The folks liming under the massive shaded tree in St Elizabeth Park on the next side of the road chatted and ate the Bajan food items, including turkey, fish, chicken, rice and macaroni pie bought from the shop. They were apparently admiring the new look from a little distance. For some of them this was their regular meeting point and their pride and joy.
“This is real exciting and enjoyable,” said Anthony Murray, one of the fellows huddled in the shop. “Ah brek but still happy.”
Sandra Nurse, a pleasant shop assistant from Seaside Bar in Bathsheba, and her brother Ronald Griffith, who is known for his sea cat catches, were also paying tribute the shop. They seemed part of this large local family that made this shop part of their regular diversion. Sandra admitted that she had been there the previous night until midnight had passed. She declared: “I was enjoying music and karaoke here.”
One would never have imagined as Sandra still looked as fresh as a rose. She was clearly in her element. And so was everyone else.
That was their slice of Bajan life!