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11th Annual Conch Festival set for November 29th to feature popular food competition and other activities

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PROVIDENCIALES, Turks and Caicos Islands –October 30, 2014 – Plans for the 11th Annual Turks & Caicos Conch Festival, are well underway with a weekend-full of activities on the tropical getaway of Providenciales, home to the World’s Best Beach. The popular beachside event attracts tourists and locals alike to celebrate the islands’ most famous delicacy, historical icon, and number one export…CONCH. The main event will take place on Saturday afternoon (November 29) in the charming Blue Hills area of Providenciales, outside of Three Queen’s Bar & Restaurant.

Friday, November 28: First Annual Calypso Kick-off event.
This year the weekend kicks off with a Calypso event. (More details will be available soon.)

Saturday, November 29: Eleventh Annual Conch Festival
The weekend kicks into high gear on Saturday, November 29 at Noon in the Blue Hills area. The marquee event is the ‘conch-etition’ which pits the island’s best chefs against each other in a hotly-contested tasting competition judged by a panel of experts as well as the Festival attendees. Categories include Best Conch Salad, Best Conch Chowder, Best Specialty Conch and Best in Show. More than 25 restaurants are expected to compete for the cash prizes and bragging rights this year. Tasting begins at Noon and runs until 5PM. . An entry fee of $25 gives Festival-goers a chance to sample all the dishes entered and cast a vote for Best in Show. In addition to the restaurants, the “Home Kitchen” event will take place simultaneously. Home cooks will have a chance to show off their favourite conch recipe and earn a chance to win a cash prize and more. A separate vote will be held in this category and best in show will again be decided by the general public. Home Kitchen participants will receive each receive $75 to help offset the cost of their ingredients. They are urged to bring a BIG pot of their conch recipe so everyone will get a chance to sample what they have prepared.

Major sponsors for this year’s festival so far are Amanyara, Wine Cellar, Villa Del Mar, the Turks & Caicos Tourist Board, Discover Card, Alamo Car Rentals and the TC Weekly News with more coming on board every week, plus a host of others lending their support.

Augmenting the always delectable restaurant competitors is the annual Mojito-making contest sponsored by Bacardi where the island’s best bartenders are on display with their creative twists on this classic Cuban cocktail. This year’s event also features the Turks and Caicos’ own world-renowned Junk-a-Noo, plus other local performers.

Special Conch Competitions for conch blowing and other conch related competitions will assure that chefs and bartenders are not the only ones who can win prizes. Plus the biggest prize of all will be the cash prize of $10,000 drawn at 5:30 on the day of the festival by the Rotary Club of Providenciales as part of its annual Pot-of-Gold raffle. Tickets are currently on sale from local Rotarians and at 3 Queens Bar and Restaurant and will be available on the day of the event. However, buying tickets early is highly encouraged because only a limited number are available.

Henry the Conch and a special appearance by Santa will also be on hand to pass out goodies to the kids. A special kids’ area will be set up with games, face painting and more.

The day’s events will culminate with an after party at Zani Bar featuring DJ music by TCI Most Wanted, DJ Shakes and Unstoppable and DJ Vernam dancing into the wee hours of the night. Admission will be: ladies $10, men $20. This is the ONLY Conch Festival sanctioned after party.

About the Conch Festival
The Conch Festival is a family-friendly event with plenty of games and activities for the kids, including kids games on the beach and a showcase of local culture. There will be games on the beach, and a visit from our mascot, Henry the Conch. In 2008 the Conch Festival donated part if its proceeds to help the fishermen of South Caicos recover after Hurricane Ike, in 2011 over $4300 was donated to Clement Howell High School for much needed equipment and supplies and the Conch Festival also supplies water for their sports day every year. A clean drinking water system for Oseta Jolly Primary School is being undertaken with the proceeds from lasts year.

More information on the Conch Festival can be found at www.conchfestival.com.
Contact Dick Bain, President 242 4553 or Joy MacKenzie, Secretary 241-4465 or email tciconchfestival@gmail.com

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Caribbean News

Millions to come from FSC 

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Dana Malcolm 

Staff Writer 

 

 

#TurksandCaicos, March 17, 2023 – Revenue from the Turks and Caicos’ Financial Services Sector will more than double in the next few years, if E Jay Saunders, Deputy Premier and Finance Minister gets his way.  It ‘s one of the reasons the country is investing so much capital into getting off of the EU blacklist and becoming a secure trustworthy financial destination. 

“The FSC’s revenues for 2020/21 was $10.5M— the figures for 2021/22, would be about similar,” he said.  He further explained that $10.5 million from the FSC represented about 2.6 percent of the country’s 408.5-million-dollar revenue.  Though it increased to $14 million in the 2021/22 financial year, finance is still a small fry compared to tourism or even stamp duties but that will change, says Saunders. 

“My revenue goal for the Government by the year 2029 [or] the election after the next election – is $500M.  By that time, I want the financial sector (FSC) revenues to represent at least 5% ($25M).  So that’s my goal for the financial sector by 2029.” 

This goal, should it be met, would increase the Government’s revenue by 100 million dollars, a significant increase in spending power for local upgrades and improvements for Turks and Caicos residents and visitors. 

Saunders says it’s time for the TCI to diversify its sources of revenue to make sure that what happened in the COVID-19 pandemic, which saw residents out of a job for months, will not happen again.  Tourism now makes up around 80 percent of the country’s GDP.  The Minister of Finance wants to push that down to 60 or even 50 percent.  

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Caribbean News

Debrief on Haiti Caribbean heads visit 

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Dana Malcolm 

Staff Writer 

 

 

#Haiti, March 17, 2023 – When a CARICOM delegation visited Haiti earlier this month, conspicuously absent was the Turks and Caicos Islands despite being one of the nations most directly affected by the multi-dimensional crisis there.  There is no comment, as yet from the Premier, to say why this was the case.  

Still, from the expedition, CARICOM heads of Government have informed that there will be lobbying in Africa for assistance in Haiti.  They say they have decided that the best course of action for the Caribbean country is to bolster the Haitian National Police and act as intermediaries with Africa and the world.  The decision follows a one day visit on February 27th, and a March 5th meeting chaired by the Bahamas. 

CARICOM says during the trip delegates ‘met with a broad range of Haitian stakeholders to hear their views on the way forward to a Haitian-led solution’. With that in mind it has made a decision on how to proceed.

“The Heads of Government agreed to support the Haitian National Police in their efforts to address the security situation.  The focus of the Community will be the provision of training for the HNP and the provision of humanitarian assistance to HNP and the wider Haitian society, taking into account the challenging humanitarian and security situation”

It’s not clear yet where and how this training will take place.  Also distinctly absent from the report, no more mention of boots on the ground from other countries despite CARICOM Member States indicating they were ready and willing should it come to that.

In addition, recognizing ‘the common historical experiences and the strong African-Caribbean relationship’ CARICOM says,

“Heads of Government also agreed to seek support from African countries for Haiti.  They also agreed to work with the Governments of Canada and the United States as well as the UNDP”

Magnetic Media has reached out to the Premier’s Office to get a full debrief of the February 27th visit (led by Jamaica; including The Bahamas and Trinidad and Tobago) to learn of Turks and Caicos’ posture following the critical sessions.  

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Caribbean News

New ASHLEY’S LEARNING CENTRE CONCERT

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Dana Malcolm 

Staff Writer

 

 

#TurksandCaicos, March 17, 2023 – Musicians from the New World Symphony will be in the Turks and Caicos in concert next month and residents are invited to attend in support of the future of Ashley’s Learning Center.

A fairly young orchestral academy based in Miami, the New World Symphony was launched in the 1980s by 1987, Michael Tilson Thomas and Ted Arison,Carnival Cruises founder.  From the 1500 applicants who vie for a spot each year, the symphony accepts around 35 music graduates annually for training fellowships. 

A select few of those graduates will be in country on April 8th headlining at the Ashley’s Learning Center concert ‘We’re all in this together’.  The concert which also feature local artistes will be held at Brayton Hall on Venetian Road from 6 pm to 8:30 pm

Tickets are available ON ISLEHELP  $75 PER GENERAL SEAT $125 PER PREMIUM SEAT $195 PER GALLERY SEAT – with /FREFRESHMENTS. 

For TICKET RESERVATIONs you can call: 649-341-2304 or email  EVENTS@ASHLEYSLEARNINGCENTER.ORG 

 

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