As we mentioned, at this morning's ceremony the calendar of events was also announced. The celebrations begin on Friday and they'll end on September 22nd. Both the Queen of the Bay and Carnival King and Queen Contest are this Saturday, the road march is on September 8th, and Voice of the Bay on Friday September 7th. Committee member William Neal gave an overview of other events.
William Neal, September Celebrations Committee
"This year's September Celebrations calendar is one that has a beautiful blend between tradition and new events. And in some cases we've simply seen the evolution of traditional events. What I'll try to do is give you a snapshot of some of the events across the country.
One of the things that is important to me is definitely the historical exhibition commemorating the 200th anniversary of the abolition of slavery. I think it is a good one for everybody to use an educational tool and its right here at the House of Culture and will run through the entire month of September. And then we have the Belize Poets Showdown and Special Award, a poetry competition with patriotic poems. We have the Francis Reneau Concert that will be in Belize City at the Bliss Center featuring the renown pianist and also some of the students that he has worked with during the last month that he has been in the country. Then we have the Soundfest which this year will feature a very special component with a song competition. We have about 17 entries and the top five, selected by a panel of judges, will then compete to win the cash prizes.
And then of course a favorite, because I think a lot of the children, this appeals to them, the fire engine parade as well as the military, police, and fire tattoo. Those are the ones that stood out for me in Belize City."
For a full listing of events you can visit the September celebrations website at http://www.septembercelebrations.com. We note that Tourism Minister Godfrey Smith was the Chairman of the September Celebrations Steering Committee but he stepped down after Hurricane Dean. He has been replaced by Rene Villanueva.