Seafood Jamboree

Of the many great American pop culture exports I've seen mimicked in Jamaica, Rising Star is number one, followed closely by the Golden Nugget. Rising Star is equivalent to American Idol and last years winners were Chris Marten and Noddy Virtue. Now they spend their days traveling the Island singing a mix of reggae and Brian Adams best of the 80's at various parties, sessions and events. So when I saw they were booked for 4-H's Seafood Jamboree I knew it was going to be a true Jamaican show.
Seafood Jamboree was put on by St. Elizabeth parish and Westmoreland parish 4-H clubs. It was held in Westmoreland at a primary school which sits on the ocean. When we pulled in there on our kickin' bus that the Santa Cruz community club chartered it was amazing. Literally the back yard of the school is the ocean. There is a large field, where 4-H held the jamboree, and the beach. Westmoreland has some beautiful unspoiled coastline with reefs, small inlets and turquoise ocean. Most of the best parts, in my opinion, are further east towards St. Elizabeth where not many hotels have built. Certainly no public school in the States would sit on such prime real estate.
After so much planning in work it was great to see the event go so well. I worked the 4-H booth and we sold cakes to support the Shrewsbery community club that I've worked with before. One of the guys from the Santa Cruz club won the 'Crazy Dress' competition and got a prize of $5,000 (about US $80) . I think he deseved to win because he sprayed himself with spray paint and let one of his friends cut off large chunks of his hair with a single blade Bic. That really is crazy.
The first time I saw a crazy dress competition I couldn't understand why everyone looked like hobos. I was picturing that people would wear the most outlandish thing they could find, like a spacesuit made from tinfoil or an pirate costume. Instead everyone dresses like a 'mad man', someone who lives on the streets and is mentally disturbed. Then they walk gibbering around on stage while the crowd decides if they are the winners. Some people really go for it and do outlandish things but most people throw on an old dress or cut up a plastic garbage bag (desperately needed to actually collect trash at such an event, but...) and wear it as a skirt. I felt proud that the guy from Santa Cruz club used old potato sacks as his pants, crazy and enviro friendly!
As the day, and night, wore on people were starting to flood the place with the usual hangers on outside the gates, screaming that they should get in free because Noddy and Chris weren't gonna show up anyway. These events are notorious for having the headliner show up at 4:00am, when everyone's already gone home. If you drive around the Island you are likely to see the same artist headlined for events in three different parishes in one night.
But they made it in record time!! They were singing their standards by 10:30 to a full house. It was a great show, even if they did run out of beer AND jerk chicken.
I really have to hand it to my boss Ms. Richards, she did a great job organizing the entertainment and it really made the whole day worth it, as far as fundraising goes. I hope to have some pictures from Seafood Jamboree if I can get them off my friend's phone. Maybe you'll see little kidsin a 'dutty wine' contest.
Stay tuned for 'Science on Wheels goes to Woodford'!