Adrian Frater, News Editor

Western Bureau:

Dancehall star Busy Signal created musical ecstasy at Manning's School in Savanna-la-mar when he brought the curtains down on the 2009 Westmoreland Curry Festival with an exceptional performance.

Closing the show behind the likes of reigning Digicel Rising Stars winner Cameal Davis, Terry Linen and the 'Strong One', Etana, Busy spared none of his hits, much to the delight of the predominantly teenage crowd, which greeted each new song with deafening screams.

It was indeed a fitting end to the event, which showed that the mix of food, which ranged from traditional curried goat through to the more exotic curried mango, and music, which spanned the secular and the religious, was a winning combination.

Veteran reggae star Ken Boothe, who had to leave early to perform at Richie Stephens' Take Me Away showcase in New Kingston, gave a good mid-afternoon performance, belting out hits such as Ain't No Sunshine, Crying Over You, Freedom Street and This Train.

When Boothe departed, centre stage went silent as the patrons returned to feasting on the various curried meals and the children resumed playing.

However, as soon as the twilight began to make way for the colourful stage lights, music again took the spotlight with acts such as the award-winning Hatfield Cultural Group, the Manning's Gerreh Group and the Legend Dance Squad setting the pace for what was to come.

Prior to the musical performances, comedians Apache Chief and Sarge took patrons through a rib-tickling experience as they induced much laughter, poking fun at both themselves and the audience. The fun was taken to another level when Sarge did a brilliant job impersonating top deejay Bounty Killer, mastering his style, lyrics and general mannerisms.

When the charismatic Davis took the stage, she quickly took charge, delighting with songs such as Land of Love, Just Believe and Spotlight, which she shared with two little girls from the audience who all but matched her vocally.

Deejay Boomblast and Shane-O both delivered impressive cameos but Edge Michael, who is fast becoming Savanna-la-mar's pride and joy, really got the crowd humming as he delivered excellent renditions of his popular Deep River Woman and Delilah.

Terry Linen, who preceded Etana, promptly got the attention of the women as he was right on cue, reeling off Missing, No Time To Linger and Don't Be Shy. When Etana followed, she stamped her class with Meditation, Wrong Address, Warrior Love, Jah Jah Blessing and Not Afraid.

When the dynamic Busy Signal hit the stage to close the show shortly after 10:30 p.m., the artiste could do no wrong as each new song was greeted with a fresh bout of hysteria.
 
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Curry jumbo shrimp

WESTERN BUREAU:

MANY ESTIMATE that the crowd was even bigger than that at the 2009 Jamaica Jazz Festival. Sunday's Curry Festival cooked up a batch of creative curry and family fun in Savanna-la-Mar, Westmoreland.

Despite the absence of the curry ice cream and traditional festival cook-off, the celebration maintained its hyped-up appeal with an array of curry dishes including: jackfruit, seafood dishes, and goat.

Against the backdrop of the historic Manning's School, the festival delivered a family funfest of buggy rides, face painting and a children's play area, while still maintaining an adult appeal, with two bars and evening entertainment.

Displays included a Manning's School past student, Gary Brown, who represented Big Spring, a new mineral water product that he partnered with Virginia Dare fruit extracts to produce. At the festival, the fruit punch flavour was the most popular pairing with the curry he said.

Brown believes that the appeal of his water product combined with Virginia Dare's fruit extract, lies in the combination's ability to 'stretch.'

"In these times, you have to pinch and save in every way possible," Brown said. "It's more efficient to have products that can go a long way. Big Spring is perfect for that and just as good as any of the more common water brands, even better," he added.

Refreshing, natural drink

One half gallon of the fruit extract, combined with two and a half gallons of Big Spring, creates a refreshing, natural drink according to Brown. Unlike many water companies, Brown, a chemical engineering graduate of the University of Technology, said Big Spring does not use the process of reverse osmosis which he says often leaves water with a strange taste because it is stripped of its essential minerals.

Among the thousands of patrons, were persons who waited patiently outside the gates to get in. A portion of this year's proceeds will be donated to the Manning's School and be used to improve its security perimeter.

hope.evans@gleanerjm.com


Curry lobster tail. - Photos by Hope Evans

Curry shrimp

A unique dish, curry jackfruit attracted many customers.

Curry Gotame (river fish).

Curry potato soup.

Curry crab.

PENNYCOOKE

WESTERN BUREAU:

ARYL PENNYCOOKE is not only the manager of this year's staging of the Westmoreland Curry Festival, but a teacher at The Manning's School as well.

The festival is scheduled for Sunday, April 26, at The Manning's School in Westmoreland. The proceeds of the event will go towards the school's renovation.

Providing support to Chairman Donald Gordon, Pennycooke is no stranger to the board. She has been a committee member since its inception in 2001.

A history/sociology/social studies teacher at Manning's, she has dedicated 15 years of her life to the institution.

"I've played many roles at Manning's and the festival," Pennycooke said.

More recently, Pennycoke has assisted Gordon with entertainment logistics and has taken on the responsibility of hospitality director.

The veteran teacher attributes some of the festival's success to the students of Manning's who are not excluded from the planning process.

"The children are very excited about the festival. They are the ones who give ideas about which artistes to invite. They know their choices will enhance the school in some way," Pennycooke said.

She also encouraged them to be involved in various stages of the event.

Pennycooke said that while she enjoys her administrative role, the former chairperson said she hopes to attend the event one day as a patron as she feels she misses out on some of the fun.

As a teacher at Manning's, Pennycooke said that she has witnessed the benefits of the festival first-hand. She said that she feels a sense of pride when she sees much-needed renovation taking place as a result of festival's proceeds.

WESTERN BUREAU:

Known for her curried goat head and goat-related recipes, Melody Allen believes her dishes have been the best at the Westmoreland Curry Festival for the past eight years.

She admitted that her dishes are like no other as she has a special ingredient that is "good for the soul". She, however, refused to share it.

According to Allen, curried seafood is gaining popularity at the festival, as well as untraditional products, such as curried fruit and curried ice cream. However, curried goat is still king, as it is the first meal to finish every year.

This year's staging of the festival will mark Allen's ninth year as a food vendor. Her meals include curried crab, chicken, shrimp, pork and her speciality - curried goat, which is often paired with roasted breadfruit, potatoes and yams.

Allen said that the allure of the festival lies not only in the great food and entertainment, but in its rich culture and diversity.

James Nwaowah, Manning's School business teacher and festival treasurer, shares Allen's sentiments.

"What makes this festival so special is that we have many people from all walks of life," the business teacher said.

"There is no class at the curry festival. We get members from both political parties, residents, foreigners, students and from the banks," he added.

Allen said what she enjoys about this family festival is serving others and gets a thrill from knowing that the patrons enjoy the meals she prepares.

"I enjoy taking part in bringing people of all different backgrounds together and supplying them with a great plate of food," she said.

WESTERN BUREAU:

Principal of Manning's School, Gloria Wagstaffe, said that Westmoreland Curry Festival began with the twin purposes of recognising Jamaica's Indian population and Westmoreland.

"The school board and its stakeholders originally wanted to come together and incorporate Manning's and Westmoreland with a recognisable event," said Wagstaffe, who has been principal since 2005.

According to her, incorporating curry into a large event was originally introduced by school board and community members because of Westmoreland's large Indian population. She added that curry is traditionally an "Indian-loved food".

Wagstaffe said the she is grateful for the proceeds Manning's receives from the festival, as it accounts for the gradual progression of the institution's renovations. She added, however, that part of the proceeds also goes to the Westmoreland Parish Library and the Savanna-la-Mar Women's Centre, an establishment aimed at counselling and encouraging students who are pregnant.

The committee member anticipates that this year's proceeds will go towards the completion of the perimeter wall around the school. She also hopes that one day the school will be able to purchase its own transformer as electricity is shared with other establishments. This would cost of more than $700,000.

"Having our own transformer service is crucial," Wagstaffe said. "The lack thereof affects water supply, the computer room, our offices, everything."

Each year, Wagstaffe enjoys the growing participation of students and patrons who turn out for the excitement of the festival.

Wagstaffe recounted that when she attended the school, there was no opportunity for students to participate in such a massive campus event. Moreover, women were not allowed to attend The Manning's School until the late 1800s.

"Now, they are not only an integral component to the institution, but also a supporting entity in a massive event that helps bring families together," she said.