Friday, June 9, 2006

Marcia Rankine (left), Rusty Walton and Melissa Scott
take part in an Old Time Fashion Show.

The heavens opened and the rain poured down, as thunder cracked the skies. But the opening ceremony for International Museum Day on Cayman Brac carried on regardless.

Musicians from the Cayman Brac High School (CBHS) Band and the CBHS Steel Pan Band played on under canopies that provided minimal protection from the slicing rain.

Following all the normal prayers and welcomes given to those hardy residents who remained, the two Sister Islands MLAs, Julianna O’Connor-Connolly and Moses Kirkconnell offered their remarks and the Leader of Government Business, the Hon Kurt Tibbetts gave the main address.

As the opening ceremony came to a close, and the celebrations officially began, the rain finally stopped.

International Museum Day has been celebrated all over the world since 1977 on or close to 18 May. For 2006, the second year that Cayman Brac has participated in the worldwide celebrations, the theme was “Museums and Young People”.

Guest entertainers were CoCo Red Band, who kept the music flowing all day, though more traditional Cayman music was provided by Percy Whorms, Lemmuel Bodden and Septimore Scott. At the Baby shows and Little Miss competitions.

Kenny Christian Ryan and Morgan Girdhari were the Baby King and Queen, while the Little Miss crown was awarded to Channah Connor, and the Junior Miss title was won by Joanna Tibbetts.

An Old Time Fashion Show gave a glimpse into the past, with a running commentary by Mary Lawrence, while a domino tournament tempted the Leader of Government Business to try his luck against local players.

Local food and craft stalls were on display and museum tours were provided for visiting dignitaries. Raffles, competitions and guest appearances by Dora the Explorer made it a successful Family Fun Day.

A message from H.E the Governor, Stuart Jack, read: “Cayman Brac Museum gives us a fascinating glimpse of the Island’s past: the people who made Cayman Brac what it is, the boats they built and fished in, the implements they used in everyday life.” 

The message sent by Deputy Director, Cayman Islands National Museum, Leonard Dilbert, read in part: “In Cayman Brac, remarkable successes have been achieved in stamping into young people a sense of Brac identity – Brackers don’t forget where they’re from.

“Yet, there is still a need to educate them further, with regard to the manner in which their special way of life, the strong character of their island, has been evolved.

“And there is a matching need for the innovations, fresh energies, and fearless enquiry that young people may bring, once invited into museums as volunteers, interactive visitors, or guest analysts of exhibitions and objects.”

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