Junior masqueraders take over PoS

THE SUNSHINE Snacks Junior Carnival Competition got off to a slow start yesterday but soon picked up pace as more than 35 bands paraded through the streets of Port-of-Spain, making their way down Abercromby Street, from Woodford Square to South Quay and back up to the Queen’s Park Savannah. The event did not start at 8 am as scheduled. However, by 10 am South Quay was filled with the music for the start of the annual event. The popular colours of the day were hot pink, green, purple and red, and while all the bands were of a high quality, a few stood out for their size, the intricacy of their costumes and the energy of the young revellers.

Attracting a great deal of attention was Rosalind Gabriel’s “Mas! Mas! Ah Know Yuh Name” which featured firemen in black and gold; jab jab’s in pink, purple and orange, as well as midnight robbers, fancy clowns, Dame Lorraines, king sailors and Pierrot Grenades. Pelican Walk’s “Coming Out of the Toy Box” was also a hit as it contained an entire section of little “spider men,” all decked out like the popular comic book hero. This year, the parade was supposed to be boosted with the addition of music trucks to accompany bands and provide a non-stop supply of music. Unfortunately, many of the sound systems were unable to fully meet the demands and some bands, among them Michael Charles and Associates’ “In My Land,” went across the stage without music.

Many of the bands paid tribute to the Trinidad and Tobago Soca Warriors for their World Cup 2006 qualification. Bois Canot Productions’ “Look at We” contained the section “We Going Germany,” while Point Fortin RC’s band was entitled “On De Road To Germany.”  Classix Productions had “Give Jack His Jacket” and St Dominic’s Children’s Home had “Soca Warriors.” However, Sacred Heart Boys RC took it all the way with their section entitled “We Going Germany Too,” which featured sections like “Village Football,” “Savannah Football,” “1973” and “Strike Squad 1989”.