| The customary tranquil,Bryan Bickell Jersey, indigenous community of Rockstone in Region Ten, about 22 kilometers (14 miles) from Linden, was transformed into a buzz of activities on Sunday last when the Eight Annual Fishing Festival got underway.For those like myself who were attending the event for the first time, it was a breath of fresh air,Wholesale NFL Jerseys China, away from the “regular” country life, and surely different from the bustling city of Georgetown.The pleasant smell of Bar-B-Que and fish filled the air as the sight of friends and families bonding alongside their vehicles amidst the breathtaking backdrop of the Essequibo River created a picture perfect scene.The people who flooded the little community of Rockstone came from all walks of life; groups of friends who used the event to get with the party vibes; those who embraced the activities as a means of spending quality time with their children by camping out and playing games and telling stories; and there were also two different Church groups having their fun day activity. Strangely enough, I even met one guy who said that he was looking for a unique Amerindian lady to wear his wedding band.As it relates to actual fishing, there was evidently not much of that being done, as most of the persons visited Rockstone to experience unadulterated leisure and fun. For them, it was more of a picnic by the beach with “bush cooks”, tents,Cheap Jerseys China, hammocks and other paraphernalia that people usually take on such outings.There were however,Cheap Jerseys Supply, some of the regulars who showed up prepared to win the competitions in the various categories.According to London-based Guyanese, Quinn Anderson, he has been attending the Rockstone Fish Festival for five consecutive years hoping that his team would cop the monetary and other prizes. Last year, one of his teammates was awarded for having the biggest catch of the year.Anderson is insisting that an award should be given to the person with the smallest catch. His persistence was probably because his catch was less than an inch long.During a walk around the venue, Kaieteur News spoke with several patrons. Those who were attending the event for the first time were very pleased with what they saw, and disclosed plans of returning for next year’s fish festival.Deonarine Haripersaud of Parika on the West Coast of Demerara maintains that had he known that the event would have been so nice, “I would’ve brought my family a long time ago.”While some of the regular attendees of the festival maintain that it has grown and improved significantly over the years, there were others who believe that much more needs to be done.“I feel like they got to do more, and give us some more activities to look forward to. To me, it declined a bit because for example, they used to have merry-go-rounds and suh, but this year, the children dem only got the trampoline,” one patron opined.The man’s female companion added that both the roads leading to Rockstone, as well as the washroom facilities need to be upgraded.In speaking with this newspaper,Asics Dynaflyte 2 Mens, President of the Rockstone Tourism Association (RTA), Lynette Benn, admitted that while the event has grown significantly over the past eight years, there are plans for further improvements.She explained that once the financial resources become available, the RTA will erect benabs and cabins for the comfort of persons wanting to spend the night.She added that they intend to buy engines so that more boats can be used to take patrons to neighbouring tourist destinations such as Gluck Island.“We want to set up cabins on the island for those who do not want to be on the waterfront,Pat Tillman Cardinals Throwback Jersey, so that they can explore and do bird watching and so on.”In commenting on the roads, RTA Official Fay Allicock said that she is disappointed with the Ministry of Public Works for having done shabby works on the access road to Rockstone.Allicock posited that while people are against paying a toll for entering the festival, they should understand that monetary resources are vital in ensuring that the festival continues and grows.(Rehana Ashley Ahamad) |
