Thousands of Trelawnyites reconnect in New York

WASHINGTON — The sun had just begun to rise above the lush green hills of New York’s Bear Mountain on Sunday morning, when cars and buses began rolling into the parking lot of the Anthony Wayne Recreation area with eager occupants, for the start of the 30th edition of the annual Friends of Trelawny Association (FOTA) reunion picnic.

By noon, some 6,000 picnic goers from across North America and as far away as the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and Jamaica had packed the large tree-lined park with colourful picnic blankets and baskets, tables, and smoky barbeque grills.

People chatted, old friendships were rekindled, and the laughter of children intermingled with the sights and scents of mouthwatering dishes including roasted Trelawny yellow yam and saltfish.

At the unique family affair, friends and strangers alike freely partook of the ample fare on offer, as they roamed the park to reconnect with their parish and perhaps a long, lost friend.

“This never gets old. Each year when I step in the park it almost feels like I am stepping back in time to see countless friends, who I grew up with and know,” said

Dr. Albert Stoddart of New Jersey, who has been attending the picnic for more than 20 years. “Our stories never end and the good feeling stays with me until I return the next year,” he added.

Another longtime attendee, Suzette Dunbar, told JIS News that the reunion picnic is one event she looks forward to every year. “Can you believe I can walk from one end of the park to another and be invited to a friend’s picnic table for a meal at no cost?  That is truly the spirit of Trelawny and Jamaica,” she gushed.

The annual reunion picnic, which started out as a small gathering of about a dozen families from Falmouth at Rockland Lake Park in Nyack, New York, has grown in size, which necessitated the move to the current location three years ago.

"Trelawny is the only parish outside of Jamaica to stage an annual weekend event of this magnitude,” said president of FOTA, Caroldine Smith. “It reunites old friends, brings together a mix of the young and old, gives one an opportunity to reminisce and provides an opportunity to see how former residents can assist their beloved parish,” she informed further.

This year’s picnic was staged under the distinguished patronage of Jamaica’s Ambassador to the United States, Her Excellency Audrey Marks, who was on hand to declare the event officially open.

Among the other notable attendees were Falmouth’s Mayor Colin Gager; Member of Parliament for North Trelawny, Dr. Patrick Harris; Councillors Lloyd Gillings and Garth Wilkinson from the Trelawny Parish Council; Deputy Mayor of Highland Park, New Jersey, who hails from Falmouth, Elsie Foster Dublin; President of FOTA Canada, Roy Scarlett; Community Relations Attaché at the Jamaican Consulate in New York, Trudy Dean; reigning Miss Jamaica United States, Kerisa Harriot; and the Rev. Dr Alfred Johnson.

In declaring the picnic open, Ambassador Mark commended FOTA on its 30 years of bringing together former residents from the parish in such a fashion. She said the efforts of FOTA serve “an exemplary demonstration of the kind of positive impact that the Jamaican Diaspora can have on the development of Jamaica”.

The picnic was the culmination of a weekend of reunion activities that started on Friday, May 27 with a welcome reception at the Fish Eye Bar and Grill, where congratulatory messages from the Governor-General, His Excellency the Most Hon.Sir Patrick Allen and Prime Minister,  the Hon. Bruce Golding, were read.

A Scotiabank-sponsored business and investment symposium was held at the International JFK Airport Hotel in Queen’s, the following day, where President and Chief Executive Officer of the Port Authority of Jamaica, Noel Hylton, delivered the keynote address.

By DERRICK SCOTT, JIS Reporter