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| READY TO JUMP ... Uzezie Morris, 5, is all dressed up and ready to join yesterday's parade. Behind is Jennine James, 6. |
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| HURRICANE SKINNER ... Simone Skinner dances to the beat of her dad's band, Oceana, yesterday during the 33rd Caribana parade. Terry Skinner's Masqueraders was one of nearly 50 bands in the parade watched by thousands. PHOTO: Greg Henkenhaf, SUN |
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By NATASHA MARKO -- Toronto Sun
People of all ages were jumping out of their seats yesterday at Caribana's arts and cultural festival on Olympic Island.
The day started off quietly with a few hundred people strolling around the island in a light rain and visiting the Caribbean food and craft booths. But by 3 p.m., about 6,000 were celebrating on the island and many were jumping and dancing to the soca and calypso music and waving the colourful flags of the Caribbean countries.
The soca music of Roy Cape and the Kaiso All Stars, one of many bands at the festival, had Maxine Brown, 68, and her friends dancing in the aisle near the stage.
"We just got up and started acting like fools," said Brown, who came with 30 other seniors from the Avalon Swingers line-dancing group in Chicago. "The music got too good for us."
GRAMPA JUMP UP
| He can jump ! |
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HE CAN JUMP ... Wearing a shirt that says, "This white man can jump," Wilf Grignon, 73, celebrates his ninth Caribana during the arts and cultural festival on Olympic Island. PHOTO: Greig Reekie, SUN |
Toronto resident Wilf Grignon, 73, a.k.a "Grampa Jump Up," put on such a good show dancing in the aisle that a crowd of revellers circled him and cheered him on.
Grignon's T-shirt had red lettering that read, "This white man can jump." He's celebrated Caribana for nine years.
The festival is part of the 33rd Caribana celebration, which attracts about one million people to Toronto from across Canada, the Caribbean and the U.S. and is modelled after Carnival in Trinidad and Tobago.
"It's second in the world -- after Trinidad," said Arnold "Sly" Punnette, 50, a musician with the Trinidadian Roy Cape band and a 15-year veteran of Toronto's event.
FIRST-TIMERS
First-timers were equally impressed with Toronto's ability to put on a party.
"I love it. I could come back again and again," said Luvee Jenkins, 36, of Philadelphia.
Her friend Mary Topa, 39, of East Hartford, Conn., called it "one big lasting blast," after listening to performer Major P.
Alfie Marcus, 50, of Minneapolis was in Toronto attending a conference for business-school professors. He took a break to let loose on the island with his family.
"The conference is the cerebral part of my visit. This part is for the body," he said.
His wife, Judy, 50, said she was impressed with what she's seen in Toronto.
"I like how multi-ethnic it is here," she said. "I like how there are people from all over the world."
Caribana wraps up today with another day of the arts and cultural festival from noon to 8:30 p.m. on Olympic Island.
Tuesday, August 8, 2000Island jams to the max
More than 8,500 packed culture fest for Caribana fun, sun, music and food
By JASON TCHIR, TORONTO SUN
There was plenty of island sun, food and music yesterday -- as long as you didn't miss the boat.
"I've been looking forward to eating roti all afternoon and now I can't get on to the island -- I feel like I've been voted off Survivor," said accountant Lisa Elliott, who had waited over an hour in line when the ferry service shut down at 4:30 p.m.
Elliott was one of hundreds of expectant partygoers who couldn't make it out to the Olympic Island Arts and Cultural festival -- the final event of Caribana "It happens every single year," said Toronto Police Sgt. Peter Harmsen. "The organizers felt that there were just too many people out there."
Despite an hour-long wait to board the ferry, organizers estimated at least 8,500 revellers made it across to jam to soca, reggae, calypso and steel-drum music.
HERE FOR IT ALL
"I'm here for it all -- curried goat, oxtail, barbecued corn, roti. I made sure I skipped breakfast and lunch today," joked student Tim Johnson.
Chandra Ali, owner of Shandra's Roti Shop in Mississauga, said she had sold more than 1,000 curry-filled rotis, all made from scratch, during the two-day Olympic Island event.
"It's a tremendous success," said festival head Michelle Reyes. "But it's definitely lower-key than the parade. We have a lot more people from Toronto today, rather than tourists."
While some balked at the $18 admission fee, Reyes argued "you get what you pay for -- just going to a movie costs $10."
Caribana secretary Leslie Forbes said the success of this year's events will help organizers gradually move back into profitability -- they are now $200,000 in debt.
But he was concerned that Toronto Police used surveillance cameras to monitor crowds at Saturday's parade -- a common practice at all major events, police say.
"There are cameras in subways and malls -- everywhere you go," Chief Julian Fantino said. "People need to stop the whining and complaining -- it's getting sickening."