Thursday, August 29, 2019
VOLUME 2 I ISSUE 9
MERIDIANSOURCE.CA
Lloydfest bursts into colour GEOFF LEE
WRITER
.................................. An encore presentation of Lloydfest is likely a nobrainer in 2020 given the overwhelming enthusiasm for the inaugural multicultural celebration. Hundreds of people lined the streets to see colourfully costumed revellers from different countries make their way to the Bud Miller picnic shelter on Saturday for a weekend party—under sunny skies. “It has absolutely exceeded my expectations,” said Susan Cambridge, who heads up the International Festival Lloydminster Society organizing body. “I have to say we’ve been blessed with the weather— we got full participation from all those who said they were going to come,” she said. Not as many people turned up on Sunday, but Cambridge says everything went well. “There was a warm welcome of the Lloydminster community,” she said while the parade poured in. “This has been a dream and a vision of mine and I’m going to get it bigger and better in 2020, and in years to come, all roads will lead to
Lloydfest for summer.” The event included a oneday beer garden at Lakeland College from 8-11 p.m. Bud Miller was filled with tent vendors both days selling food from 10 different countries with other vendors offering a variety of non-food products. “Things went very well and I’m so happy to all the sponsors and all those who donated and all those who support it,” said Cambridge. Kevin Mageto drove in from Prince Alberta to sell sweaters and beadwork and was thrilled to showcase his Ugandan heritage. “I think it’s great, lots of colour, lots of different cultures around. It’s fantastic in terms of people being around,” he said. “I didn’t know Lloydminster had this much culture, coming from Prince Albert, it’s very shocking and surprising, it’s great.” Mageto says he spoke with people from India, lots of Canadians and First Nations people. Participants included folks from the Philippines, China, Pakistan, Chile, Jamaica and other countries, notably Trinidad and Tobago where Cambridge is from.
She says parades and carnivals, common in her motherland, inspired the idea for Lloydfest. “I don’t think Lloydminster has experienced a colourful carnival parade—that’s because of my Trinidad and Tobago background,” she said. “I am so happy I brought it here to Lloydminster, but it’s a combination of everything —we’ve got food, we’ve got fun, we’ve got festivities and we’ve got a parade.” Gerry Lampow, another Trinidad and Tobago import, says Lloydfest is a step in the right direction. “This is amazing. Lloydminster in the last eight years that I’ve lived here, has become a town that represents diversity. It’s only going to get bigger and bigger,” he said. “This is all of summer in one day.” The parade and the event even attracted a group of Sierra Leone residents from Edmonton headed by Daniel Oldfield from the Sierra Leone Association of Alberta. “We’re excited. That’s why we came all the way from Edmonton to come to showcase our culture,” said Oldfield.
Geoff Lee Meridian Source
Kalifa Lampaw showed off her dance moves in a Lloydfest multicultural parade representing Trinidad and Tobago through Bud MIller All Seasons Park on Saturday, the start of a two-day festival.
“There are lots of different communities here so we thought it fits—we came to
show that in Sierra Leone we have a culture of love and harmony.”