Mayor begs for more Carnival $$

Speaking at the opening of the Calypso Revue tent at the Arima Municipal Stadium on Friday night, Youseph said they were initially promised an increase from the $300,000 they received in 2011 by the National Carnival Committee (NCC).

“When they were awarding prizes to the winners last year, we were told by the NCC that we were getting $500,000. Last year we got $300,000 and they told us this year we will get $500,000,” he told the crowd during his speech.

“Then two weeks ago, the NCC told us that we have gone back to $300,000. We did a budget based on the promise, now we are in a little jam. We are $200,000 short. We do not have any answers as to how we would handle this.”

The mayor said last year they were able to supplement their budget with the help of corporate sponsors, but admitted that this year the sponsors have been dwindling.

The NCC was allocated $125 million for Carnival 2012.

On the night, however, it was standing room only as hundreds of patrons who, by the way they called back each performer for encores and sang along with the chorus of the songs, thoroughly enjoyed themselves.

The packed audience had a wide array of topics to take in, from social and political commentary to hilarious ditties, risque double entendres and Road March hopefuls.

Veterans Hollis Liverpool (Chalkdust), Eric Taylor (Pink Panther), Timothy Watkins (Baron), Michael Osuana (Sugar Aloes) and Errol Ballantyne (Bally) demonstrated why they had staying power with powerful performances that had the crowd calling for more. Chalkdust, known for his strong, no-nonsense lyrics, delivered with “How’s Dat” and “Lady Kamla”, while Panther urged them to “Let’s try Again”. Tent manager Sugar Aloes came on with “Doh Force Meh Hand” and “Chinese Kidnapping”, while Bally sang about obeah within the Government in “Bush Bath”.

As has been the norm in the years gone by, Government came in for a bashing in Kenson Neptune’s (Ninja) Queen of the Pack, Garth St Clair’s “Big Fish” and Carlos James’ (Skatie) “Lady Lock Up”.

Dr Witty meanwhile had the crowd either in stitches or on their feet as they danced and sang along to his suggestive “She Continues”. He was called back three times to perform his number.

The ladies were not to be ignored and held their own, as Teneille Cooper was point on with her “Doh Hot Yuh Head”, impersonating television personality Ian Alleyne; Natasha Nurse (Sexy Susie) was the outside woman in “Deception”, while Miranda Joseph was an “SOE Love”. Among the patrons were PNM Senator Pennelope Beckles-Robinson and her husband, Noel; former commissioner of police Trevor Paul and councillor for Toco/Fishing Pond Martin “Terry” Rondon.