Montserrat Newsletter May 2010

May 2010 Issue

‘INVASION’ Music and Sports Festival 18th-20th June
Storm Entertainment in collaboration with trulycaribbean.net will be presenting INVASION, a three-day music and sports festival June 18-20 on Montserrat. Headlining the event will be Barbwire and DJ Blaize from St. Maarten. More acts will be added in the coming days. A DJ sound clash with $5000 in prize money is up for grabs. The weekend will be filled with lots of entertainment at various venues, a friendly cricket tourney between St. Maarten and Montserrat, a beach bash and an ultimate island tour. To find out more about the event visit www.trulycaribbean.net. Email: invasion@trulycaribbean.net

2nd Annual Dive Festival June 26^th-July 2^nd

The Green Monkey Dive Shop, in conjunction with Scuba Montserrat & the Montserrat Tourist Board, will be hosting the 2^nd Annual Montserrat Dive Festival, from Saturday June 26 to Friday July 2, 2010. This year’s Festival will once again be held in conjunction with Montserrat’s annual Reef Check Programme. Reef Check is an international program dedicated to the conservation of tropical coral reefs. It combines education with action to give volunteers a unique experience while taking an active role in conserving the world’s reefs. The Montserrat Dive Festival will open with the Reef Check survey at two different sites. Participants will first take part in the Reef Check EcoDiver Certification Course that will combine both classroom and field training prior to the official surveys. Scuba divers are invited to participate. There is no cost for participating in this program but participants must be registered for the Montserrat Dive Festival. A variety of activities are available for registrants to include a Welcome Happy Hour and Movie Night at Green Monkey Dive Shop, a two and a half hour Plymouth Boat Tour and an island tour. For participants who have non-diving partners or children, the Green Monkey Dive Shop can organize other “top-side” adventures including nature hikes, snorkeling trips, bird watching, bicycle rentals or deep sea fishing excursions. The event will culminate with a closing Party on Friday July 2^nd at Green Monkey Dive Shop. For further details call 664 496 2960 or go to www.divemontserrat.com

Calabash Festival –18^th – 25^th July

The 5^th Annual Calabash Festival is carded for July 18 -25, 2010. The week-long event offers a wide selection of festivities that highlights the creativity and talents of local artisans and designers. Named after the calabash fruit that was traditionally used to produce eating utensils, musical instruments and decorative items, the festival seeks to promote the destination through a range of events. This year’s program includes a daily Calabash Exhibition, an adventure hike, a gospel concert, Prof. Dr. George Irish Lecture Series, a Caribbean cultural food fair, cricket match and a grand finale summer music festival. For further information call Mrs. Florence Griffith Joseph on 664 492 1743 or email flogriff@candw.ms

Cudjoe Head Celebrations – July 30^th – August 1^st

Montserrat showcases its African ancestry during Cudjoe Head celebrations that is scheduled to take place July 30^th to August 1^st, 2010. The night before the festival, Cudjoe Head Eve, is a time known for revelry and fun with a street festival that includes live music and vendors. This year, activities will include a five-mile race/walk, masquerades, sound system deejay shootout, dance competition, children’s games and an exclusive live band open air concert featuring special guest artistes. For further information contact Mr. Paul Lewis on 664 496 1611 or email lewiselec@hotmail.com

In the Spotlight – Local Tourism Entrepreneur, Mrs. Juliana Meade
Making her first rag doll at the tender age of twelve, Mrs. Juliana Meade, owner and entrepreneur of two souvenir shops discovered that she has a passion for sewing and cooking. She learnt the skills of sewing from her mother and by attending a number of private classes. In 1997, during the height of volcanic crisis, when Plymouth and areas South of Belham were evacuated, she saw the need for a souvenir shop in the North of the island. Her first shop ‘Island Craft’ thus materialised in Little Bay, which was at the time the main port of entry. Juliana is employed with the Ministry of Agriculture as the Cassava Coordinator and also organizes classes encouraging agro-processing to persons wishing to set up cottage industries. In 2003, the Ministry held the first Breadfruit Fest, an event in which Juliana was very instrumental in organizing. Due to the success of the Fest, the then Minister Mrs. Margaret Dyer Howe suggested they publish a book of recipes made from the breadfruit and so Juliana became co-author of the book entitled ‘Montserrat Breadfruit Recipe Book’. In 2005, when the airport opened at Gerald’s, Juliana opened the ‘Last Chance Gift Shop’ at this location. Juliana designs and makes over fifty items from the madras, the national fabric. She distributes volcano hot sauce – a tasty hot pepper sauce infused with Juliana’s secret ingredients, packages pumice rock and volcano ash as souvenir items and sells various fruit preserves in addition to her craft items. Persons interested in purchasing any of the products from her wide range of souvenirs can contact her on 664 492 1568 /491 8588 (evenings) or email jem-enterprises@hotmail.com