Bethel’s cancels return to Heritage, show not ready

The Bethel Heritage Festival Committee cancelled its 2018 Tobago Heritage Festival production planned for Tuesday night because it wasn’t ready to be presented to the public. Instead, Bethel will make an appearance onstage for the closing show at the Emancipation Day Parade on August 1 at the Pigeon Point Heritage Park

In a telephone interview on Tuesday, President of the Bethel Village Council, Cloyd William’s said that the Bethel team was not ready for the show last Tuesday evening.

“The Chairman (of the Festivals Commission) and his technical team did an assessment and they realised that the production wasn’t ready, and we needed more time. They said it was a beautiful production, but we needed more time to put it together and as a result we together made a decision to suspend it and give us a spot in the Emancipation celebration,” he said.

Williams said the decision was reasonable.

“I think it was justifiable, I don’t think we were quite ready. We were struggling… the production has to do with a plantation and it was lots of practice in order to get things together, so I don’t have a problem with it. I think we would do better with the Emancipation presentation,” he said.

He note that the Bethel Committee did make a late request to be part of the Festival.

“We got the permission for the production very late, maybe just over a month ago or so, if you notice we are not on the original calendar. They just gave us a free night and that was only after all the villages were given permission,” he said.

Chairman of the Commission, George Leacock, announced the cancellation in a press release, stating that “It was mutually agreed that while the community was well on its way to making a full return to the Tobago Heritage Festival, more time was needed to ensure that the presentation was up to the high standard that Bethel was known for in its previous appearances.”

Leacock said the Commission congratulates all of those “who through physical and emotional efforts, have contributed to the process so far, and is heartened by the decision of the community to continue its preparations.”

The Heritage Festival continues tonight with Folk Tales and Superstitions at Les Coteaux, an the Ms Heritage Personality show on Friday night at the Cyd Gray Sporting Complex in Roxborough. On Saturday, Belle Garden will be host to the Bele Festival, and Bucco will be the venue for the Goat Races on Sunday.

The Festival will close with the Emancipation Parade and show on August 1 at the Pigeon Point Heritage Park.