Greater Hartford's West Indian community, one of the largest
in the nation, will cap a week-long celebration this Saturday,
August 8, with the 36th Annual West Indian Independence Parade
through the streets of Hartford.
The parade is scheduled to step off from Bushnell Park in downtown
Hartford at 11 am and then go up Trumbull Street to Main Street
and continue on down to the West Indian Social Club at 3340 Main,
where festivities will continue until 5 pm. The 1998 West Indian
Celebration Dance will also be held on Saturday at 9 pm. at the
Caribbean American Society, 400 Woodland Street.
The parade and other festivities mark the anniversary of the
granting of independence to the Islands by Great Britain, a process
that began in 1962 with Jamaica.
Other events this week include:
Wednesday, August 5: Guyanese Night, 5 p.m., West Indian
Social Club; Pool Tournament, 7 p.m., Sportsmen's Athletic Club,
2979 Main Street; Calypso Competition Preliminaries, 8 pm, West
Indian Social Club.
Thursday, August 6: Caribbean Night at the Wadsworth Atheneum,
5-8 p.m., 600 Main Street; Trinidad and Tobago Night, 7 pm, Trinidad
and Tobago Club, 1023 Albany Avenue; West Indian Caribbean Cuisine
and Culture Night, 7:30 pm; Caribbean American Society; Domino
Tournament, 6 p., Sportsmen's Athletic Club.
Friday, August 7: "All Island Night" at various
West Indian Clubs beginning at 9 pm; Jamaica Night, 9 pm, Sportsmen's
Athletic Club; Caribbean American Night, 9 pm., Caribbean American
Society; Opening Reception for the Cricket Hall of Fame Exhibition,
5-8:30 pm, Sportsmen's Athletic Club.
