THE DECISION by the South Trelawny Environmental Agency (STEA) to postpone this year's 'Yam Festival' will not prevent residents of South Trelawny from enjoying their usual Easter Monday revelry, as like last year, they will once again celebrate "Yamboree."
Yamboree, which is the brainchild of students from the area, is again being organised by the South Trelawny Schools Association in collaboration with community organisations such as the 4H Club and RADA. It is made up of the Parents-Teacher Association (PTA) Presidents, Board Chairmen and Principals of schools in the area.
"The schools saw it (absence of Yam Festival) as an opportunity to come up with something," said Rudolph Brown, the Principal of Albert Town High, whose school is hosting the event. "The Yam Festival has always been eagerly anticipated and we could not foresee Easter Monday being bare."
According to Mr. Brown, who noted that last year's Yamboree was a viable venture, having attracted approximately 5,000 patrons, this year's staging is being funded from the profits generated last year. The event for a large part is self-sufficient and is not hampered by the financial and infrastructural setbacks that faced STEA. Farmers will pay an entry fee of $500, which will fund the erection of the stalls. Additionally, this year's entry fee is $200 for adults and $100 for children at the gate. The projected day of fun and frolic has attractions such as entertainment by the students, funniest and biggest yam competition, miniset (type of yellow yam) and ingenious culinary displays and yam market at competitive prices.
As to whether Yamboree will become an annual event to be anticipated, Mr. Brown said, "that was not the idea when the concept came about and we would not want to steal the lime light from Yam Festival." He said they were toying with the idea of having a South Trelawny homecoming in August instead. The organisers have high hopes that with the improvement of the road conditions from Christiana and Jackson Town to Albert Town, they will have heavy traffic heading in that direction come April 1.
