Our Independence Float Parade can arguably be compared to carnival but pretty much that’s where it ends.
The palpable excitement of our children could be felt by everyone especially the adults at Ranny Williams Center. That’s what our Independence Foat Parade is all about. The children! What a treat for these youngsters to rehearse for so many weeks and to finally participate on the big day of our Independence Celebrations. Memories that can never be replicated or duplicated of walking from Mas Ran Center and to later enter our National Stadium amongst the glitz and glamour of our black, green and yellow backdrop!!!!
On leaving Mas Ran Center we drove over to Half-Way-Tree Road as the float wend its way paststhe JIS office. Fittingly, songs booming into the early afternoon sunny day was Damian Marley’s “Welcome to Jamrock” and followed by Buju Banton’s driven and popular, “Driver, Don’t Stop At All”!!
Yesterday morning it was fitting too for us to have stopped by National Heroes Park to see workers toiling on the final resting place for the wife of National Hero, Rt. Hon. Alexander Bustamante, Lady Bustamante. Her funeral will take place on Saturday, right after our Independence celebrations.
After walking through our Heroes Circle and stopping by the monuments of former Prime Ministers of Nethersole, Manley and Shearer, it was time to head on to Liberty Hall first opened by our first National Hero, The Rt. Hon. Marcus Mosiah Garvey, in 1923. On arrival at the gates was the happy sounds of children at play. The summer school session of young boys were at the gate playing football while a group of young ladies sat in a circle under a tree with just a little breeze blowing in the sunny mid summer morning.
