Mt Grace brings Christmas spirit to Heritage Festival

KINNESHA GEORGE-HARRY

The usually quiet Mt Grace was transformed into a Christmas village last Tuesday evening as the Tobago Heritage Festival bandwagon rolled into the community, for its presentation of By The Hook Or By The Crook, We Celebrating Christmas. Although the show got off to a late start, organisers were quite pleased with their presentation, having not participated in the annual event for several years. This years' event, co-ordinated by the Mt Grace/ Harmony Hall Prison Youth Club, was filled with mouth-watering gourmet food as well as Christmas delicacies and drinks, including black cake, ginger beer, sorrel and ham and hops. There was also live entertainment, featuring Christmas carols and parang, against festive décor. Acting Prisons Commissioner Dane Clarke, accompanied by a contingent of officers from the prisons service band, journeyed from Trinidad to participate in the event.

Welcoming those gathered, president of the Prison Youth Club Erla Henry-Olliverre said the club has been in existence for over 20 years. She said the organisation's main objective is to uplift youths in the community.Tobago Festivals Commission chairman George Leacock commended the Mt Grace community as well as the acting prisons commissioner. "We're really happy to work with the community of Mt Grace. We hope that it expands into the entire village council, where we can have the whole community involved."I want to specially welcome...Dane Clarke... it's very important that people in the position like those Mr Clarke holds find time to do this side of the story, which is trying maybe to prevent people coming to the place that he is in charge of, and we really want to thank you for taking the time off of your schedule in Trinidad to come to be with us," Leacock said.

Sheldon Cunningham, representative for Mason Hall/Moriah/Providence, said he was proud of the progress made by the Prisons Youth Club in hosting the event."This year, you have grown a little more, and next year as we come together with the community, we can even grow more and more. I really and truly must thank Miss (Julia) Cowan and her team for the Prisons Youth Club of Harmony Hall/Mt Grace, who have stuck to it and ensured that this evening a production is coming out of Mt Grace. "The prison service have continued to support these groups and I know for sure every event that this organisation, the Prison Youth Club, has, there is support coming from the level as far as Mr Clarke...Don't be a stranger to us, keep coming, sir," Cunningham said.