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    The Brooklyn-based cultural and educational organization Club St. Vincent, Inc. has described as very successful its massive cultural exposition on Saturday, Aug. 22, at the Friends of Crown Heights Educational Center in Brooklyn. “Based on responses from participants, with which I concurred, it was a resounding success,” Exposition Chairperson Veran Arthur, a former Club St. Vincent, Inc. president, told Caribbean Life. “I feel extremely satisfied with the work which went into making this 2026 Cultural Exposition come to fruition.  “Thanks to all the volunteers. A special thank you to Toni Johnson and Carlos ‘Rejector’ Providence (stage managers) for putting up with my back-and-forth on the live entertainment segment until I got it the way I wanted,” she added. “After a three-year hiatus, the exposition is back.  She said 33 entrepreneurs, ranging in age from 12 to 84, were able to showcase their products at the exposition.  [caption id="attachment_85196" align="aligncenter" width="700"]Author Dr. Nicolette Spring, right, foreground, with her dad, Benjamin Connell, displays her books. Author Dr. Nicolette Spring, right, foreground, with her dad, Benjamin Connell, displays her books.Nelson A. King[/caption] Additionally, Arthur said the live entertainment was “simply fabulous.”  Vincentian cultural personality Atiba Williams served as Master of Ceremonies.  Arthur said the exposition covered a broad cultural package, from “young adults on violin to authors presenting one of their books, R&B section, the SVG Calypso Monarch, (Calypsonian) Scorcher, Spoken Word, steel pan, drumming, and a tribute to Becket and Soso by Dynamite calypsonians, recognizing D Man Age as he celebrates 50 years in the calypso arena to Mas Productions with their Labor Day presentation.” Arthur said Becket and the late Soso were two entertainers who supported the exposition from its very inception, as well as D Man Age and Scorcher.  “We had participants who waited too late to get to the food court [and] were greeted by empty containers,” she said. “A huge thank you to our partners: Nanni Health Food Store and Vegan Restaurant; Standard Shippers; Dynamite Cultural Organization, Inc.; Amerijet; Friends of Crown Heights Educational Centers, Inc.; and Diaspora Affairs. The positive energy meted out at our 2026 cultural event was, by all indication, a sign that the 2027 exposition will be a blast. Job well done Club St. Vincent, Inc!” [caption id="attachment_85197" align="aligncenter" width="700"]Zachary Franklin, right, with Devin Pitt, displays his paintings. Zachary Franklin, right, with Devin Pitt, displays his paintings.Nelson A. King[/caption] In addressing the event, new St. Vincent and the Grenadines Consul General to the United States Roland “Patel” Matthews said the showcase celebrated “who we are, where we come from, and the rich cultural heritage that continues to connect us, even when we are thousands of miles away from home.”  He congratulated Club St. Vincent, Inc. for “bringing us together under this year's very appropriate theme: ‘A Taste of Home from Abroad.’  “That theme captures something very special about the Vincentian experience,” Matthews said. “For many of us living abroad, home is never really far away. To many, home is hearing a Becket or Winston Soso song or a Skinny (Fabulous) or Problem Child Soca. It is the smell of roast breadfruit or a plate of provision and saltfish. It is a piece of Vincy craft." “Some may say it is the taste of mango, guava, golden apple,” he added. “Home is the stories our grandparents told us and the traditions we pass on to our children. In short, home is where the heart is. And today, Club St. Vincent, Inc is bringing a little bit of that home right here to the Diaspora.”  [caption id="attachment_85198" align="aligncenter" width="700"]Wayne Commissiong plays the steel pan. Wayne Commissiong plays the steel pan.Nelson A. King[/caption] Pastor Louis Striker, Jr. — senior pastor of the Reflections Church on Utica Avenue in Brooklyn, whose father is former St. Vincent and the Grenadines Deputy Prime Minister and erstwhile Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade Minister Sir Louis Straker — lauded Club St. Vincent, Inc., for showcasing Vincentian culture.  “What a wonderful event!” exclaimed Pastor Straker, whose mother hails from Trinidad and Tobago, in addressing the entertainment segment. “There’s something special about St. Vincent and the Grenadines. “When I touch down (in St. Vincent and the Grenadines), it’s something special to me,” he added. “Keep on doing this (exposition), because first generation (Vincentian-Americans) need to know this. “St. Vincent and the Grenadines is special,” Pastor Straker continued. “St. Vincent and the Grenadines is a special place where God is (applause).”  Besides agro-products and the food court, the exposition featured, among others, calypsonians from the Brooklyn-based Dynamite Calypso Tent, the lone Vincentian calypso tent in North America; children masqueraders from the Brooklyn-based Mas Productions Unlimited; singers Abena Amory and Garfield Palmer; authors Drs. Richard Byron-Cox and Garrey Michael Dennie; violinist Jerrol Bowman; Alyssa John on clarinet; Francesca Sam with the Spoken Word; and Owusu Slater on drums. “How many times have I said I would step down as chairperson, but that is easier said than done,” Arthur said. “While I have remained longer than planned, our organization continues to seek committed people who can help carry this event forward."
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