Hundreds of residents and visitors, from across Anguilla, converged on the Frederick O. Harrigan Playing Field on the Whit Monday Holiday, May 25, for what is considered to have been one of the biggest annual Welches Village Fests there.
The event, now in its seventh-year, is basically a re-enactment of Anguillian traditional life and culture with overwhelming emphasis on cultural food, drink, artifacts, string band music and fashion.
The event is played out in modern-day Anguilla with the participation and support of milling throngs who flock each year to one of the island’s smallest village communities for the entertainment and reflection it affords them. Small and sparsely populated, Welches has become the leading village in Anguilla for appreciative presentations of important glimpses of life of yester-year.
It is something that Mr. Bren Romney, Director of the very effective and culturally discerning Department of Youth and Culture, referred to as he addressed the exciting crowd. “I wish to take this opportunity to put out a challenge to other communities that have a unique past, and much to share about their uniqueness, to do so as well,” he encouraged. “They do not necessarily have to have a festival, but showcase some of the things that their community can share with everybody else on the island. I am particularly speaking about the communities on the western end of the island. The Department of Youth and Culture will always be available to provide the technical and financial support necessary for successful events.”
Mr. Romney added: “To the Welches community, congratulations on this your seventh anniversary. We look forward to much more festivals in the future.”
The clusters of tents and food stalls were heavily patronised by the teeming crowd. But when the fashion show, the highlight of the event took to the stage, many persons abandoned their frontline positions at the food stalls and dashed for ringside places to see the models perform.
Called up by fashion show enthusiast, Dr. M. Linda Banks – herself sporting colourful attire and oversized sunshades – the models, women, men and children, drew much applause from the spectators. In one segment of the show the adult models appeared in beautiful traditional wear which resonated well with a number of residents from the senior citizens homes, acquainted with the garments of yester-year. The other appearances by the adult and youth models were in modern dress wear, but were eye-catching and attractive as well.
It was a full day of fun-filled activities and feasting at the Welches Village Fest with many persons having first enjoyed “the ole time” breakfast dishes and returned later for the other servings. It was around lunchtime, and after, at the height of the event, that the size of the crowd mushroomed taking up all available space on the grounds of the playing field.
