Vincy Day USA 2014: ‘Together as One’

Vincy Day USA 2014, held last Saturday on the campground of Heckscher State Park in Long Island, New York, is said to have hit its zenith.{{more}}

According to a member of the Vincy Day committee, “It must go down as the best of the three years that we have been having it… It was on a larger area; we have evaluated from the previous two years, hence the activity can only get better.”

Seen as the biggest single gathering of Vincentians outside of St Vincent and the Grenadines, Vincy Day USA is a assembling of family, friends and other acquaintances in a day of food, fellowship and fun.

Held under the theme “Together as One,” last Saturday’s activity achieved that.

“There was lots of sharing, exchanging of numbers, taking of photographs, sharing of food, drinks, reminiscing on past experiences, mainly back in St Vincent … It was total fun and that is what we intended it to be and that is the way we want it to remain,” a member of the organizing committee told SEARCHLIGHT.

“Whilst most people had done their cooking at home, some persons ventured to cook from scratch on the campground in true Vincy style,” the source added.

Reports are that apart from the frolicking and feasting, there were organized ring games, table games, small goal football and other forms of enjoyment.

The formal ceremony heard remarks from St Vincent and the Grenadines’ consul general to New York Selmon Walters, as well as to St Vincent and the Grenadines’ consul general to Canada Fitz Gerald Huggins.

Remarks also came from president of COSAGO Laverne Mc Dowald-Thompson.

The mixed cultural and entertainment package saw gospel performances from Andean Charles, Brigo Lynch, Monodel Ollivierre and Zia.

Making mas presentations were Devine Mas band, Mas Production and CPI, Vinci Cultural Organisation, with Twentieth Century USA providing the steel band entertainment.

The band Solid, calypsonians Jakie, Dennis Bowman, Black Roots, Lively and Tamisha Nichols all rendered their songs.

Also making an input were the singing duo of Dai Mirae and Zuri Reddock and the dance group Candy Girls.

Performing duties as masters of ceremony were Justin Miller, Atiba Williams, Theresa Daniel, Don Bobb and Junior “Soca” Jones.

Although buoyed by the continued success of Vincy Day USA, the source told SEARCHLIGHT that the organizing committee would be constantly assessing each year’s event, with a view to making it better, while keeping the day with its “purity” intact.

Vincy Day USA, which began in 2012, was conceptualized by Junior “Soca” Jones, and taken up by the SVG Consulate of New York under the headship of Selmon Walters.