Bigger and better Agricultural Fair planned for September
By Ryan Haas
Reporter-SKNVibes.com
~~Adz:Left~~ BASSETERRE, St. Kitts-THE Silver Anniversary of independence in the Federation will be the central theme for the 2008 Agricultural Exhibition, tentatively scheduled to be held on September 12th-14th at Warner Park Stadium, Basseterre.
“We chose Warner Park to host this year’s exhibition because the scale and scope of the event are being expanded for the 25th anniversary,” said Dr. Jermone Thomas, a chief advisor in the Department of Agriculture.
Though the National Agricultural Exhibition has not been held in Warner Park since 1989, Thomas told SKNVibes.com that variety of this year’s event will warrant such a large venue. “The exhibition with not only show various aspects of agriculture, but also our development over the past 25 years and how we think things will change over the next 25.”
There will be several “zones” set up at the fair to demonstrate how agriculture affects different aspects of life in St. Kitts & Nevis, including crops, fisheries, floral production, livestock, arts & crafts and tourism.
“This year’s exhibition will stand out from previous years’ because the Department of Agriculture will be showing how we are increasing our production and range in St. Kitts. Rather than just having the growing season during the first five months of the year, we want to extend it all the way until September, and eventually year-round,” said Thomas. “We also want to keep the event exciting by having evening shows every night at the exhibition and possibly a ‘Family Day’ event on that Sunday.”
The Department of Agriculture is planning to tap the public sector in the development of an official slogan for the exhibition and is hoping to have something concrete by mid-April. “It will probably be something related to the 25th Anniversary,” noted Thomas.
In preparation for the September exhibition, the Department of Agriculture has planned several smaller events to build buzz, including a small fair in Nevis on April 24th and 25th and a May Food Festival in St. Kitts that will demonstrate the variety of culinary dishes that can be made from locally grown products. No ticketing information for the National Agricultural Exhibition was made available at the time of the interview.
