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The St. Maarten Day committee at the A.C Legislative hall. Photo Today / Andrew Dick
St. Maarten – The committee in charge of organizing the November 11 St. Maarten Day celebrations has been working for the past months to organize and execute a well thought out program starting November 8. Minister of Culture Rita Bourne-Gumbs says this year the focus is on the people being proud of the heritage the island has to offer. “The community needs to be reminded of the rich culture the island has and we HOPE to depict this at this year’s festivities,†said the minister.
The highlight of the day will be a cultural parade consisting of 30 groups according to committee member Urmain Dormoy. “We want to do something that St. Maarten can be proud of, we will start at 9 a.m. in front of the Vineyard Building and move our way to Philipsburg straight to the Festival Village. Various traditions will be showcased, market ladies, salt pickers and so much more.†The Minister also mentioned that there will be a kite competition for the schools during the morning hours on November 11.
The budget for the festivities is 250,000 guilders and the minister said that the budget is just an allocation and does not mean that every cent will be spend on the day itself. This was according to Nevil York Head of the Culture Department.
The festivities will start on November 8 with a swim meet organized by Les Brown and November 10 will be a classical pan concert. The Festival Village will be open to the public from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. The ministry of culture will release the official schedule later this week.
