“Me soul on fire – feeling hot hot hot…”
The sound of steel drum music could be heard this past weekend, as more than one venue celebrated a hot July with a Caribbean Festival.
At the Lakeside Retirement residence in Alcona, the annual Caribbean Fest featured the mellow jazz and steel drum music of Hulan Pierre, with refreshments that included tropical punch and fresh fruit. Residents and guests, dressed in summer hats and bright floral prints, enjoyed an afternoon of music.
The Bradford Farmers’ Market was jumping on Saturday morning, as musician Kenn Lewis provided a background of steel drum music for shoppers and visitors.
Visitors browsed the booths, as temperatures soared. They could participate in kids’ crafts and a scavenger hunt, check out the artisans and crafters who joined the regular vendors for the day, and purchase fresh produce that included the first sweet corn of the season from southwestern Ontario.
The Polish Baker, chef Ryszard Surdyk, added jalapenos to his signature pretzels as a salute to the Caribbean heat. And Tammy Jackson, of Sweet Annabella’s, offered flavours that included mango-coconut muffins and rum-raisin butter tarts.
There was a heart on each pie “for Bob Marley,” Jackson said – a reference to Marley’s song, “One love! One heart!”
Shoppers dressed in shorts and tropical prints sipped fruit punch, watermelon refreshers, and tropical green drinks as they got into the spirit of the day: “Let’s get together and feel all right!”
The Bradford Farmers’ Market takes place every Saturday from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the east parking lot at the Bradford West Gwillimbury Public Library, 425 Holland St. W., rain or shine.
