Published 4 September 2019
Buckie Got It, St. Kitts and Nevis News Source
DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER RICHARDS PREVIEWS 36TH INDEPENDENCE CELEBRATIONS
Basseterre, St. Kitts, September 03, 2019 (SKNIS): Residents of St. Kitts and Nevis were given a preview of several activities planned for the month of September as the nation gears up for its 36th Independence Anniversary celebrations.
In his address at the Sitting of National Assembly on Tuesday, September 03, Deputy Prime Minister and Chairperson of the 2019 Independence Committee, the Honourbale Shawn Richards, noted that several activities have been planned to commemorate the 36th Anniversary of Independence.
“The Calendar of Events reflects quite a number of activities, some of which are planned by the Government itself and others by quite a number of other organizations,” said Deputy Prime Minister Richards, who highlighted some of the more traditional activities that occur each year. “Mr. Speaker, this coming Friday [September 06], we have the Independence Fiesta at 7 p.m. at the Circus. On September 08, traditionally, you have the Sanitation Workers Service; there is also a ten miles road relay that convenes in Tabernacle and climaxes at Warner Park. In Nevis, there is a Thanksgiving Service in recognition of National Heroes of Nevis and members of the congregation of the Combermere Methodist Church.”
A major event scheduled for this year’s celebrations is the Prime Minister’s Independence Lecture Series, slated for September 12 at the Sir Cecil Jacobs Auditorium at the Eastern Caribbean Central Back Headquarters in Basseterre.
Other major scheduled events are the National Heroes Day Observance on September 16 at the National Heroes Park; Independence Day Parade at Warner Park, followed shortly by a Toast to the Nation at Camps Springfield; Nevis’s Independence Ceremonial Parade and Awards Ceremony and a Toast to the Nation on September 19, Independence Day. Also, on September 19, Prime Minister Dr. the Honourable Timothy Harris is expected to visit the Maternity Ward at the Joseph Nathaniel France (JNF) General Hospital to see if any Independence Babies are born.
On Saturday, September 14, there are a number of activities including Caribbean Wellness Day Walk in Collaboration with SKN Moves; the Nyam Local Food Fair at the Bethesda Moravian Church in Cayon; and the 2nd Annual Flowers, Food and Flag event at 17 Degrees. On the same day, the Shekhinah Dance Theatre 12th Annual Dance Production is scheduled to take place in Nevis.
In further updating the general public, the Honourable Shawn Richards said that this year’s Independence State Service is set for Sunday, September 15, at the Charlestown Methodist Church in Nevis. He noted that the Government will be undertaking a number of other events including the schools visits and patriotic programmes.
“We have the ministers visiting schools as of Tuesday [September 09] of next week and with the number of schools, we expect that that will continue into Wednesday,” he said, while highlighting the National Wear event on September 18 where he encouraged everyone to wear their national colours.
The 36th Anniversary of Independence will be celebrated under the theme: “Unify, Transform, Enrich: Uplifting Communities for Independence 36”. It was chosen from a theme competition that was launched in early June 2019 and was won by Trevis Belle, a national of St. Kitts and Nevis currently studying in the United States.
