Before we relegate Carnival ‘99 to the history books, a few thoughts:
— Public Works and law enforcement personnel were the unsung heroes of Carnival. Both groups did an exemplary job.
The cleanup was swift and thorough after major events — a clear demonstration of what Public Works can do when it's motivated and mobilized.
And despite the apparently targeted shooting in the Village that left one man dead and two bystanders injured, Carnival was virtually incident-free. That speaks well for the community, but it also reflected the fact that the police were out in force at events and in strategic spots where things can easily get out of hand.
— The fireworks this year were fabulous, the best ever. Bravo!
— A suggestion for next year's Children's Parade: If the Prince and Princess float (or any entry at the start of the parade) isn't ready when the parade is set to begin, start without them and put those entries in when they've got it together. This year's delay was unnecessary and unfortunate.
— A suggestion for next year's Adults' Parade: Plan the lineup to offer a more varied parade experience. This year most of the majorettes were up front, many mocko jumbie troupes were bunched together in the middle and all the big troupes were clumped at the end. We'd bet most parade-goers would enjoy the parade more if they had the big troupes, best mocko jumbies and name bands spaced intermittently, from start to finish.
That said, we offer heaps of praise and thanks to all who made Carnival ‘99 such a great experience for so many thousands of people. It was glorious!