Showing posts with label Tamarac Sports Complex. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Tamarac Sports Complex. Show all posts

Friday, July 4, 2025

Much better!

 The 4th July Independence celebration was well organized as usual.

 In other words, things are back to normal in Tamaracafter the confusion that reigned 6 days before with the Caribbean Heritage celebrations at the same venue. (https://joan-myviews.blogspot.com/2025/06/such-confusion.html).

Bravo Tamarac City👏.

So, as usual, we enjoyed the music provided by VAM Bandfood from the trucks and camaraderie.

I was ready for the rain😊

And the little rain that came was welcomed by those who came prepared, as it cooled down the place. 
The Mayor got soaked but didn't miss a beat😁
Carol, Mayor Gomez, Joan 

Donna, our Trini friend dropped in too😊

VAM band worked up the crowd


Then it was time for fireworks.


Last year, they had a drone show and it was good, but the child in me prefers good, old-fashioned fireworks!


Thank you Tamarac, we love and appreciate these regular music sessions at the Sports Complex, when the organization is seamless.

Sunday, June 29, 2025

Such confusion!

I have been attending music festivals organized by the city of Tamarac for almost a decade now, (thankfully., we have a personable, music-loving Mayor here!). However, I have never seen one that was delivered with such confusion as Yard on the Grass on June 28, 2025, featuring Morgan Heritage.

Normally, these are free events and you simply park at the Recreation Center or City Hall, catch a shuttle bus and enjoy an entertaining evening. 

Not this one. This was born in total confusion.

For to begin, although it was a free event, tickets had to be obtained from Eventbrite, which kept insisting weeks before the event that the tickets were "sold out."

However, simultaneously with that false claim, Tamarac City was disturbing posters all over the city inviting the public to attend the supposedly sold out event?

 Then to add insult to injury, days before the event, ads appeared on Facebook  offering VIP tickets for a whopping $250!


Despite the mixed messages, a reasonable crowd turned out, but I am convinced far more people would have attended and had an enjoyable afternoon, had it not been the total confusion outlined above. (I know lots of people who did not attend as they told me it was sold out long ago😡.)

Anyway, the Grammy winning group Morgan Heritage saved the day.

And there was a short surprise input by long time reggae singer Noddy Virtue of Rebel in me fame.

Noddy Virtue

Overall it was a good evening of entertainment, good food and camaraderie, only spoiled by the MC Miss Kitty, who would not stop interrupting DJ Mighty Mike with her constant, meaningless chatter, during the musical entertainment preceding the main event!

Morgan Heritage takes the stage






After introducing the appreciative crowd to the latest recruits to the super-talented family Morgan Heritage group, his son and the son of the late member Peter Morgan, Gramps Morgan brought the event to a wonderful close with his monster hit People Like You:

  https://youtu.be/F727iU7jPOE?si=mfUPrruzyK8mD51Z.



Wednesday, July 6, 2022

4th of July

This year, I went to my first Fourth of July event, since becoming a citizen of the USA.

This was hosted by Tamarac City at the Sports Complex. The package included lots of music and at nine pm, fireworks.

                                    

The music was provided by the Cachet Band, which has been in business for over 20 years and describes itself as playing a wide range of musc.

                                    

This is a really high energy band with excellent musicians and singers who had the audience getting up off their feet and rocking on a regular basis, as they belted out popular pop and Latin music.

Posing with Mayor Michelle

As a Jamaican, I was however very disappointed that they never played even one Reggae piece of music much less Soca or Calypso!

For one of the things I love about the city of Tamarac, is how integrated it is with a mixture of born American and host of Latinos and Caribbean people all living together in harmony.

The Mayor was everywere

Tamarac has a very good Mayor too in the person of Michelle Gomez. Not only is she high energy and an excellent Mayor, but also, I have been to City Hall where I have observed that the workers there represent all the groups that make up this great city.

So having Cachet, as good as they were, dissing us Caribbean people, really hurt!

Ours was a peaceful, family day. 

I say that, as these days, living in America and going to events where two or three are gathered, can be hazardous to your health and life.

Look at what happened in Chicago as Americans gathered to celebrate their special day.

In case you have not heard, this was the day that a vicious killer, allegedly a Robert Crimo 111, climbed on to the roof of a building in Highland Park, in the northern suburbs of Chicago, and using a rifle made for warfare, murdered seven people and injured 31 others, who had simply gone out with their families to enjoy an independence parade.

This is just another occasion in which much less persons could be killed or harmed if ordinary civilians were not allowed to purchase and carry rapid fire weapons of war.

But the Republicans, who are in the pocket of the NRA, (National Rifle Association) refuse to keep these weapons off the streets.

It was therefore not surprising that this latest alleged  murderer was a Republican who frequented Trump rallies as numerous pictures and videos have emerged showing him present there.


We in Tamarac are grateful that our event was peaceful and full of comradery and good music.

There were a number of officers from the Sherriff’s department constantly circling the grounds on golf cars, so if that is what contributed to us having a peaceful fun filled family affair appropriately finished off with half hour of quality fireworks lighting up the skies, we are thankful.