Boston in the News (I): Jerk Swings Home

Having secured a ringing endorsement from newly elected Member of Parliament Dr Linvale Bloomfield, the coastal town of Boston, Portland, will see the return of its jerk festival on Sunday, April 8.

For residents, the news couldn't have come at a better time, with many saying they had given up hope of ever seeing the festival again staged in the popular east Portland community.

"Boston is the official home of jerk and there's no way this community should not have its own jerk festival," said Karen James, a resident of neighbouring Fairy Hill. "Anywhere you go in the world and you see people jerking they will always claim they are from Boston. It is great that Jamaicans will once again be given the opportunity to come and be treated to the finest jerk dishes in the world."

Instant hit

The Boston Jerk Festival began in 2000 and became an instant hit with patrons across Jamaica. However, in 2007, organisers, saying the festival had "outgrown" Boston, moved the event to the Folly Great House in Port Antonio. The event also changed names to become known as The Portland Jerk Festival.

Dr Bloomfield, however, noted that the Boston name was not only synonymous with jerk worldwide, but that a festival "at the home of jerk" was a fitting way for Portlanders to commemorate Jamaica's 50th anniversary celebrations.

"I am very pleased with this initiative and it has my full support," the MP explained.

Coordinator of the event, Stephen Williams, was quick to point out that the Boston festival has nothing to do with the annual Portland Jerk Festival which is held on the first Sunday in July, noting "it's very important that the distinction is made".

"Ours will be the Boston Jerk and Cultural Festival," Williams noted. "We will be assembling some of the finest jerk men in the world and patrons will again have the opportunity to taste the real Boston authentic jerk dishes. If you have never been to Boston then you have never truly tasted jerk."

The festival, he said, will be a day filled with entertainment and great food, including the traditional jerk pork and chicken, roast fish, breadfruit, festival and other delicacies.

Parking facilities, Williams added, will be at Fairy Hill, the Boston playing field, and also at neighbouring Castle.

"We will also have a two-way shuttle bus system for patrons coming in from the Port Antonio route and those coming from the St Thomas side. We have also moved to a bigger venue at the Boston Community Centre," he said.

Safety of patrons

The police, he said, will be on hand to direct traffic, and to ensure the safety of patrons. The entertainment package will include popular reggae artistes George Nooks, Jimmy Riley, Tinga Stewart, Specialist, Harry Toddler, Hero, Contractor, Toya, Foota Hype, Dadda, Junior Mervin, Javaughn Genius, Major Mackerel, Food Kartel, PZ, Leroy Gibbons, Eddie Fitzroy, Carl Dawkins, Foxy Brown and Ruffian.

Section of Boston Jerk Centre

There will also be a cultural village, a kiddies' village and other local acts. Admission is $800 for adults and $400 for children.

The venue is located just a stone's throw from the Boston Jerk Centre, and less than half an hour east of Port Antonio's town centre.

This year, patrons can expect a wide variety of foods, with the addition of conch, mutton, shrimp and lobster, all cooked in traditional authentic jerk sauce. Vegetarian meals will also be available.

Title sponsor for the event is Wisynco. There is a host of associate sponsors, including Tropical Vibes, Downsound Records, Petal's Variety, Bay View Villas, IRIE FM, and North Coast Times.

-From The Gleaner, March 15, 2012

Navy Island Clean-up #1: of Ghosts, Garbage, and Rainbows

Sitting like a ship (or maybe the visible body of a submarine) Navy Island is 65-acrs of mystery to most 'non-Porties" - soaring royal palms, lush foliage, pearly strands of beach, the island has been largely left to ruin, its Errol Flynn heyday, and even the mid 80s play place now a matter of select memory.

Navy Island, seen from the Errol Flynn Marina

But a hardy group of volunteers ventured out this past Saturday to demonstrate that all is not lost. Early morning showers gifted the marina, harbour and environs with a breathtaking double-rainbow, while the lingering clouds kept conditions cool throughout the day, ideal for the task ahead.

The "locals" of various stripes were joined by an intrepid international band that included persons from Australia, New Zealand, Quebec, Germany, the US  and Japan.

Together, they set about clearing overgrowth and removing debris, mostly from the southern approach (facing the Marina). This included the two-storey main house, a space that once boasted three seaparate kitchens and  no doubt hosted some lively gatherings. The consensus is that with proper care, it could well do so again; that once properly maintained, the island  could serve a whole raft of purposes.

Before and amid the clean-up, project co-ordinator and Marina  chief Dale Westin sought to spook the visitors with tales of Errol Flynn's ghost, but no supernatural sightings were reported. What was very much in evidence were dead plants and tree limbs, old wooden furniture and rotted beams, assorted plastic container, jewellry and even two 38-calibre shell casings. Whether the latter were movie props or the remnants of some more nefariouos activity is open to speculation.

One thing is unquestionable: through concerted effort, and a spirit of "can-do" the clean-up volunteers are helping to put a national treasure in much better shape than that in which they found it.

The second in the series of clean-ups takes place this Saturday (March 17 - St Patrick's Day)

Guilty Pleasures: Portie's New Feel-Good Food Spot

The bustle of Port Antonio's William Street can overwhelm even the most jaded city dweller, as the town's traders, hawkers, hustlers and "schoolers" converge on and scramble to traverse the seemingly always congested artery that runs just opposite the market and ends up outside the United Church.
As one might expect ,those masses (and the few intrepid interlopers) will be looking to the numerous food and fruit stalls and cook shops to provide their sustenance. Thus the great, unrelieved bore of starch, chicken and goat, along with various packaged snacks and the aforementioned fruit.

But in this unlikeliest of settings, something fresh has popped up. Since last August a new eatery (and for most "Porties" even the term eatery is alien) has been open at the upper (church) end of the street. Guilty Pleasures is the brainchild of KellyAnn Goodall Kissoon, who spent time in the US, but out of a strong desire to be near her family, returned home and  after some combination of thought, misgivings and serendipity, opened the business, initially as a take-out only . its since expanded to include sit-down dining, but the guiding principle is the same. "I'm really about serving stuff that I enjoy eating," she explains. "We're not trying to be another cook shop"

So here you will not find the staple rice (and peas), curried chicken (or goat) or other heaping traditional street fare so abundant throughout the town. that is not to say  you won't be filled. The restaurant offers panninis and sandwiches (like that on the right) or pastires (left).

Founder-owner KellyAnn

Thee's also the more traditional cake and ice cream, though the owner says she's considering reducing the number of flavours offered. indeed, though the business has more or less kept afloat the past eight or so months, its not all peaches and cream. Porties are notoriously resistant to new dining options and despite the fairly widespread adoption of pizza (which Guilty Pleasures does not carry), old eating habits die very hard indeed, which can create frustration in the mind of a young, forward-thinking entrepreneur.

Nevertheless, she says she will stick it out for a while longer, and has some guarded plans to make the diner more attractive as well as to increase awareness of its presence. Time will tell if toasted sandwiches and the like will become the norm in this seaside town, but consider Guilty Pleasures a worthwhile vehicle for change.

Jammin on Titchfield Hill, a live music showcase with a distinctly Portie vibe continues on the Titchfield Peninsula of Port Antonio this and every Sunday.

As the organizers say " its a get together at the moment, but we can turn it into Sunsplash if we  feel like it.

Drinks and soup will be on sale, as well as Blue Mountain Coffee (as you might expect)

Ambiance resumes with "Billz"

Sherine Smith, manager, Ambiance Lounge

The Ambiance Lounge, situated atop the Royal mall at the base of Port Antonio's Titchfield Peninsula, will officially "re-present" itself to the entertainment public this Saturday (March 10) via an event approrpiately billed as "Billz". Cover charge will be $100 dollars (or a "billz" in local parlance), and mixed drink coctails will be offered at the special price of......you guessed it! $100.

Newly installed manager Sherine Smith explained that the popular lounge had been closed for some five weeks or so, during which time a number of improvements had been affected, and it was now time to publicly acknowledge the recreated entity.

The Ambiance will now open daily for lunch, but evening operations will be concentrated Wednesdays through Sundays, with an assortment of themes for each night including Latin (Thurs) Open Mic (Friday) and Karaoke (Sunday).

The club's location affords patrons handy views of the town's western harbour and the adjacent Titchfield Hill. 

Sea Cloud II breezes into Portie

tourist high mast ship the Sea Cloud II breezed into the Errol Flynn Marina in Port Antonio earlier this afternoon, and visitors from the vessel were visible throughout the town, taking in sights and possibly bargain-hunting.

According to Marina Director Dale Westin, the boat was once the property of the billionaire Post family and investment advisory firm EF Hutton (its famous tag line went "When EF Hutton talks....everybody listens"). expect more small to medium-sized vessels to come calling soon.

Glimmers of A Former - and Future Glory

here;s excerpt of a feature on Portland - inclduing highlights of the new ital restaurant Akwaaba Ital, that is published by Caribbean magazine MNI Alive. You can click the link at the end to read the full story.

Gazing out on the azure curve of Port Antonio's East Harbour in the late afternoon has a near hypnotic effect: from the tip of Navy Island, across to the promontory that houses the former Titchfield hotel and the high school of the same name -the harbour wantonly pushes its curvaceous rump into the town proper before curving outward once more towards Folly, where the aspiring but relatively messy urbanization begins to give way to the more traditional rural landscape of lush vegetation, small freeholdings and beachfront villas; the setting sun ripples across the water that laps invitingly just inches from our feet - glimmers of a soon fading glory.




http://www.mnialive.com/caribbean/jamaica/2089-glimmers-of-a-former-and-future-glory-.html