Thousands turned out to Portmore Golden Jamboree

PORTMORE, St Catherine:

Thousands of people turned out to witness the inaugural staging of Portmore Golden Jamboree at the site designated for the climate change park opposite the Portmore Mall Tuesday night.

The event, according to chairman of the Portmore Municipal Council Leon Thomas was an effort by the Civic Affairs Committee, partnering with the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission (JCDC) to give residents of Portmore a chance to share in Jamaica's rich cultural heritage that has evolved tremendously since Emancipation.

"Residents of Portmore have been asking for a calendar event to coincide with Emancipation Day for some time and what you are witnessing here tonight is what it will be going forward," said Thomas.

He added: "We decided that the theme for this first event would be 'Zero Budget' because when this event was conceptualised four weeks before Emancipation Day, we had no money."

Thomas said they immediately reached out to JCDC, along with major sponsors such as Supreme Ventures, Burger King, Wisynco, Urban Development Cooperation, KFC and others to offset the cost to stage the event.

"I must extend my greatest appreciation on behalf of the Civic Affairs Committee of the Portmore Municipal Council to all the sponsors and participants who have made this first staging the tremendous success it has been," Thomas said.

Despite the hazards posed by the dust at the venue, the estimated 4,000 people in attendance were glued to the performances from gold medal winners drawn from all the schools in Portmore who took part in the recently concluded JCDC festival of arts.rural@gleanerjm.com