A festival devoted to celebrating Caribbean cultures and more brought hundreds of locals together in Springfield, Massachusetts over the weekend.
The flags of Jamaica, Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago and more are flowing down State Street as the parade travels through Mason Square on a late-summer Saturday.
Joined by the mayor, other elected officials and members of the Springfield Fire and Police departments, marchers include local athletes and DJs bouncing up and down on their float, waving and throwing beads to onlookers along the nearly two-mile stretch.
Sponsored by the Caribbean American African Association Social Club, it’s part of the 24th annual Caribbean Carnival – a Caribbean-inspired theme Carnival that looks to preserve and present “the culture and the heritage of the Caribbean.”
It’s a sea of music, dancing and food as the parade arrives at Blunt Park. Dozens of grills and smokers have been fired up for hours.
“Scotch bonnet pepper - we have pizza thyme - those are delicacies that we place in our seasonings on there … I can't give you all my secrets!” says Lonnell Daniel of Flaming Fire Foods, listing what went into the chicken he’s been cooking up for hours.
Looking over several full racks of jerk chicken on his grill, Daniel says he and his team are working with about 50 pounds of poultry for the jerk chicken alone - another 50 for the curry.
Specializing in Trinidadian cuisine, Daniel says while there isn’t a large Trinidad population in Springfield, the flavors can be huge and attract a crowd.
“Out here, the population of Trinidadians is … pretty small, but when people try our food, they love it,” he explains. “So, they come out, they support us all the time, and that's what we look forward to.”
Curt Marcellin, President of the CAAASC, and also co-chair of the Springfield Carnival Association, tells WAMC it’s all part of his organization’s mission – bringing together the cultures of the island nations – making “a home away from home” for the Caribbean community in the process.
“Here in Springfield, we have a pretty diverse community of those island nations, and every year we look forward to getting together … to celebrate our culture in this manner,” Marcellin says. “Music, food, togetherness, good weather - kind of reminiscent of being back in the Caribbean.”
The organization formed in 1998 in Springfield, and Marcellin says work continues year-round, from putting on an annual coat drive to supporting scholarships to holding holiday toy giveaways and more.
In the case of the parade and carnival – which hosts about two dozen vendors and brings hundreds of locals to Blunt Park throughout the evening – he says celebrating is front and center.
“The trucks on the road, with the pageantry, with the masqueraders jumping up behind the music, watching everybody enjoy themselves, looking at the colors move from left to right, and everybody's jumping and enjoying themselves. - that's what I really enjoy coming out here for,” he notes.
Operating for over two decades now, the carnival’s become a staple in the city. Geraya Washington of Springfield says she can remember the festivities bringing all age groups together since she was in middle school.
Now 27, she says while the event still feels like a way of marking the end of summer and the start of the school year, it’s still a good time and chance to see folks come together.
“Once this happens – you know summer's kind of … on the end, and so, it's just good to see everyone - it’s really good,” she said. “I've saw so many people I've known that I haven't seen in a while, so that's fun.”
