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WIADCA Carnival parade latest!
4/26/2012
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Carib News |
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No intent or desire to shuffle chairs with old occupants in new positions. But West Indian carnival body brings in some new blood.
That’s how Thomas Bailey, the newly elected President of the West Indian American Day Carnival Association has described the election of the organization’s new board of director. With anxiety mounting about WIADCA’s ability to stage a highly successful West Indian carnival in September and with concerns being expressed that the promised reform of the organization’s leadership hadn’t taken place, Bailey told a radio audience that the Association’s new board members would “add some substance “ to the structure and provide for greater stability.
Financial stability and security are vital elements of WIADCA’s operations and plans, and Bailey said that they depended on funding from government agencies, corporate sponsorship and other fund-raisers and they were looking in that direction as they move forward with plans for the 2012 celebrations.
With tens of thousands of dollars in prize money owed to costume and steelband winners in 2011 still outstanding, Bailey told WWRL radio audience that the Association had begun a series of meetings with the various bands, starting with the groups that organize the revelers in costumes to talk about the current situation and they intended to meet soon with the steelband players. And a key topic on the agenda was carnival in 2012 and the money owed from last year.
“We met with the mass group and they met the new board and arrangements are being made to meet the steel bands,” he said.
Indeed, Bailey said, the question of financial assistance from the City and the state to WIADCA was high on the list of priorities the agenda of the new board.
“We have approached the City and the state but the economic situation is that funds are not available. What we are doing at this point in time is looking at measures to be implemented in reaching out to our (New York City) Councilors, (State) senators) and (other) political representatives to make sure, to see how much we can get to assist us in the funding of the carnival.,” Bailey said. “This is something that is one of the top priorities on our agenda.”
Asked about possible changes with the parade of mass bands and the roll of steel orchestras on Eastern Parkway on Labor Day, Bailey said that "as far as we know things are going to be as they were last year in terms of the organization of the parade.” However, he readily acknowledged that while WIADCA was satisfied with last year’s festival and parade, some people outside of the Association were pressing for changes.
The President acknowledged that the Association had recognized that changes in the way information about the carnival was disseminated to the public general and the media organizations in particular in recent times should be made and accepted the blame “on behalf of WIADCA” for the problems the public and the media encountered in being told about what was taking place.
“What I can assure you is that from henceforth that situation is being looked at and there would be changes in those directions, whereby information will be released whenever it becomes available to the press,” he promised.
Bailey assured revelers, spectators and vendors that WIADCA had already applied since last year for the City permit to stage the carnival on Eastern Parkway and quickly added “that as far as I know everything is okay with the permit.” As for the insurance for the various events of the festival, the President said that because of the difficulties the Associations had experienced in recent times, the question of insurance had not yet been settled.
“We know where to get the insurance and that is being taken care of,” he said.
Raymond Luke, Chairman of the Board of Sesame Flyers, the largest and the most successful costume band on the Parkway, said that he was satisfied with the efforts being made by WIADCA to ensure there was a carnival this year and his organization was supportive of what had been done so far.
“We are dealing with people we have known for years and we respect,” he told the Carib News. “They have made a good faith effort to pay off some of the money they owed and we are satisfied with that. Some mistakes were made but we are following what’s happening. We expect a parade to be held this year.”
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