A flop

I like Busy  Signal, but being bored for an hour or two waiting for him to come on stage, is not my idea of an afternoon well spent!

Tamarac is well known and respected by adjoining cities for it's excellent festivals.  

But this was not one.

To begin, it was not held in one of the usual spacious parks, but in an chucked- up area where they have established an amphitheater. This place is so small that you immediately start to feel claustrophobic the minute you get there. 

Most of the people I saw there did not appear to even be patrons, but workers, volunteers,  vendors, security personnel etc. Up to when I left after a boring 90 minutes, the attendance was really poor. Obviously, unlike me, most people knew what to expect, so they stayed away!

Apart from using this, small inadequate place, there were no chairs available and to add insult to injury, we were prevented from bringing our own folding chairs on the shuttle bus!

There were lots of food trucks offering the usual wide range of delicious dishes they usually offer right there on the last Friday of every month, but wine? I only saw one small table offering tasting of the cheap, bad tasting boxed wines.

 Yuck.🤑

I hope those who paid $85 to attend got a better quality of wine to taste.

Stage and sparsely supported VIP area.

The entire affair was not only badly planned but also boring, for although there was background music being played by a DJ, I saw no other form of entertainment after spending more than an hour and a half there.

And I was not the only one who left early, disappointed at the offering, as there was a steady stream exiting, most  leaving with the food they bought.

And many grumbled.

Crowded sidewalk but noting spectacular happening. Mostly vendors.

Sparse attendance.

Before leaving I made sure to call a friend from Miramar whom I had encouraged to attend, to tell her not to bother wasting her gas to come up, as this festival was nowhere close to the standard of Tamarac festivals which we all love so much and enjoy.

Yup, in my book, this one was a big flop.

Nice Session

I have lived in Florida for quite a few years now, but know very little about Miami or Dade County in general.

You see I am simply not drawn to concrete, but much prefer natural attractions.

Anyway, since I live here, I do take the opportunity to learn about new places, even downtown, when the opportunity arises.

So, when I heard a favorite band of mine, Tallawah Mento Band would be performing at Griffin Park in North Miami, I had no problem deciding to attend. 

But a city named North Miami? How creative is that?

Anyway as we say in Jamaica, ‘cockroach nuh bisniss inna fowl bisiness’ so let’s move on.

Well at least I never had to drive this time, as I went with friends and it was great company.

Such a relief, for I am very dependent on my GPS when driving in Florida as I know very little about anywhere else outside of Broward County. So, when driving I have to keep so totally alert that I never get to see anything.

This session was literally under the electric tree, as a landmark at Griffin Park is this huge, old (?) very attractive lighted tree.

Griffin Park was established in 2008 as the Veteran's Park it appears.  It has a clock tower with a huge bell underneath a few small plaques recognizing the sacrifices of  the soldiers who were from the community and like most parks, it also has a fountain,

To tell the truth, I was a bit concerned that the event would have to be cancelled because of the huge thunder and rain storm in my city in the afternoon. 

Fortunately,  by the time were ready  to depart, no one could even tell it had rained.

We arrived just about when the band was ready to strike up. 

However, it was not as well attended as one would have expected. Because of the inclement weather, I suppose.

It started a bit slow, as the event was advertised as ‘Caribbean,’ so they had to play music from places like the Bahamas. But shortly after, they transitioned to Mento and Ska, two genres of music designed to get you on your feet.                                                                                                                                

Would you believe though that before we worked up a good sweat, the band stopped playing!

I thought it was intermission, only to learn that the session had ended, as the management of the park had reduced the entertainment package by an hour.

Anyway, we have to be thankful for small mercies as it was really a nice session.

Good entertainment, good food, wine and great camaraderie.