BY: The Dutchess
RedCarpetShelley was delighted to attend the 20th anniversary of the Grace Jamaican Jerkfest at the Miramar Amphitheater in South Florida, presented in association with Publix. This also celebrated the 100th anniversary of Grace products.
The Jerkfest is the ultimate Caribbean cultural experience encompassing music, food , vendors and live entertainment. There were lots of jerk vendors so the lines were not too long, or at least, they were not long when I got there. I was greeted with coconut water very close to the entrance and lots of samples of patties, rum, tropical juices and of course plaintain chips.
The festival CEO is Eddy Edwards. Many dignitaries were present including the Consul General affectionately called CG Oliver Mair, Mayor of Miramar, Wayne Messam, Commissioners Alexandra Davis, Maxwell Chambers to name a few.
There was the usual jerk competition with top chefs and celebrities vying for the coveted dutch pot trophy. It was a beautiful sunny day in South Florida, the park had a kids pavillion, arts and crafts, a party zone, The Western Union Cultural stage and Main stage. The DJs kept the audience dancing with sets from Supa Twitch, House Arrest and Richie D. The artist lineup included Tarrus Riley, who sang many of his hits. i know he must get tired of singing She’s Royal but that’s ok because every where I’ve seen him the audience sings it for him, which they did on Sunday. My one criticism of his set was that his back up singer’s mic was louder than his. He introduced his friend Duane Stephenson who came on stage and sang a couple hits, most notably Little cottage in Negril. Other artis included Cham and Christopher Martin and Romaine Virgo. They ended the night with duets and their individual hits. They also did an R& B set that everyone loved.
It was a long day but very enjoyable. Congrats to CEO Eddy Edwards and his team on the 20th anniversary presentation of Grace Jerkfest. The music and jerk lovers came out in large numbers.
See you on the inside.
The Dutchess
