The New York Mets will take the field against the San Diego Padres on August 10 armed with a hearty dash of Caribbean enthusiasm as the team celebrates Caribbean Heritage Night at Citi Field.
The Mets and the Caribbean American Chamber of Commerce and Industry are sponsoring this special event, which features special seating in Citi Field’s Pepsi Porch and Promenade Reserved areas.
Pregame activities, which start at 6:30 p.m., include entertainment and the presentation of special Spirit Awards. Through the Caribbean Heritage Night offer, ticket purchasers also will benefit CACCI Educational Foundation.
Promenade reserved tickets are $23 and Pepsi Porch tickets are $39. For individual and group sales, visit www.mets.com/caribbean. For information, call the Caribbean American Chamber of Commerce at 718-834-4544.
Jamaican independence events
For Jamaicans at home and around the world, the 49th anniversary of independence is fast approaching.
A number of New York area events are being held to commemorate the August 6 anniversary. They include:
• A Jamaican Diaspora Day of Prayer and Fasting at 7 p.m. on August 2 at the Beulah of the Beulah Church of the Nazarene, 1250 St. John’s Place, Brooklyn.
• An Independence Church Service of Thanksgiving, presented by the Jamaica Consulate in New York on August 8 at the Beulah Church of the Nazarene.
• Jamaicans and Friends of Jamaica are presenting an Independence Church Service at 4 p.m. on August 7 at the St. Gabriel Episcopal Church, 331 Hawthorne St.
The Rev. Eddie Alleyne will host the service; the guest preacher is the Reverend Ed Moore of the North Shore Baptist Church in Bayside, Queens. Officiant for the service will be the Reverend Canon Calvin McIntyre of the Church of the Good Shepherd in the Bronx.
Music will be provided by the Jamaica Independence Choir, under the direction of Lloyd Chung. For information, call the church at 718-774-5248.
• On August 14, the Jamaica Independence Celebration Foundation will present an Independence Ball at 6:30 p.m. at the New York Hilton Hotel, 1335 Sixth Avenue in Manhattan.
For tickets and information about the ball and other events, call 212-935-9000, ext. 32.
Trinidad & Tobago Emancipation
Trinidad and Tobago’s annual Emancipation, marking the end of slavery, will feature local performers, including groups from Cuba, England, Nigeria Uganda, and the Brooklyn-based Something Positive dance company.
“2011 marks the 30th anniversary of Something Positive. We wanted to celebrate 30 years in a big way, but we never imagined this,” said Michael Manswell, Something Positive’s artistic director.
“To be invited to Trinidad and Tobago, I can’t think of a better way to celebrate.”
The dance troupe, which will leave for Trinidad and Tobago on Wednesday, is scheduled to perform its signature work, “Ancestral Chant,” as part of the Emancipation festivities.
The popular piece, which honors African ancestors who suffered during the transatlantic slave trade, was choreographed by the later rapso music trailblazer Cheryl Byron, the dance group’s founder.
Something Positive will also perform works honoring the African American dance pioneer Pearl Primus and jazz legend Nina Simone.
Emancipation Day festivities will culminate on August 1, the day Africans in the twin-island nation were freed from slavery.
Events include cultural performances, lectures and educational sessions.
Reprinted from the Sunday, July 24 editions of The New York Daily News
