The people of La Plaine at Home and Aboard (Jea Au Vent) will gather en masse in La Plaine during the week of July 28 to August 6 for a lively village reunion. Throughout the week, there will be activities and events to remind us of the pride we all had and have growing up in the gateway and anchor of the South East. We will embrace the opportunity to connect, renew and rekindle nostalgic memories, relationships and friendships in unparalleled ways.
La Plaine Vacation 2022 will not only be a great celebration, but also a celebration of love, connection and a chance to celebrate our heritage by spending quality time together and remembering what is uniquely wonderful to be a part of of a remarkable and proud farming community in the southeastern mountains. It will also serve as a powerful reminder of our generosity, where we came from and where we have come from, strengthening community and individual identities.
The lineup of holiday events kicks off Thursday, July 28 with a meet and greet at Gabo’s high-end bar. On Friday, July 29, care packages will be distributed to the elderly, sick and shut-ins across the countryside including Carse O’ Gowrie, Laronde, Balizier, Plasaince across the Sari-Sari and Laronde rivers. A night of dancing in 70’s and 80’s Disco attire will round off the day.
A community market day has been set for Saturday 30th July where local farmers will display and sell their produce and cash prizes will be awarded to the best decorated stalls. The market day will be a revival of the Exhibition Day of the 1960s, where the finest and largest coats, feathers, lists and other agricultural products were displayed at an annual local bazaar in the schoolyard on a Sunday in selected. This will be followed by an “All White Dress” party in the evening.
On Sunday 31 July there will be church services and a family games day at the RMG Sports Complex and playing field. There will be a La Plaine based Rounders game against La Plaine Overseas. Lime and Spoon, 3-legged and Sac races, and a “Tug of War” will add to the fun. In addition, there will be a slide presentation where the elderly of the village will be presented and honored. The final event on the ground will be the Koulirou Foundation’s fourth annual presentation of laptops to every student entering high school in September.
On Monday August there will be a wet party on the banks of the Taberi River and the next day will be an excursion across the island. Those who aren’t too tired can take part in Karaoke night, followed by a fun-filled games night on August 3.
Early morning on Thursday 4th August there will be a beach clean up at Boute Sable. In the early afternoon, there will be an informal business networking session and a PowerPoint presentation on the La Plaine Land and Tax Uprising of 1893 at Pierre Colaire Square in Carse O’ Growrie. Also, an artistic mural of some scenes of the uprising will be seen.
A panel discussion on public policies titled, “Migration: Destination and Reintegration” will follow. Villagers will then make their way to Boute Sabe Beach located approximately half a mile away, walking and dancing in a ‘saywinal’ style for a moonlight bonfire to the sounds and rhythms of the Lapo Cabri band.
Nighttime activities at Boute Sable will be a sharp reminder of the days before the Endangered Species Act, when wildlife was abundant. Back then, our great-grandfathers hunted and caught turtles at night as they came out of the sea to lay their eggs (‘Vieiler Tortie’) to feed their families.
See also
On the last day on August 5th will be the Chemin Lateng (Lake Route) from the Great Fond “Tete” passing through Morne Macaque to the Laudat Lakes walk. The trek through the rainforest mountains will pay homage emotionally and spiritually to our grandparents who walked with their heavy loads on their heads and backs as they made the two-day journey to sell their produce in Roseau.
We will stop at the ‘Ravine D?jeuner’ (Lunch Ravine) and say a prayer for their departed souls. Here our people made a break in their journey to rest and eat. We will then return to La Plaine via the motor roads that arrived in our community in the mid-sixties and wrap up with a fish fry.
Hopefully, the 2022 La Plaine vacation/reunion will strengthen the common bonds of the people of La Plaine, regenerate friendships, and reinvigorate our spirits in appreciating the differences of life and different yet parallel journeys.
Special thanks and congratulations to the Koulirou Foundation for their hard work in organizing the reunion. The group members consist of Catherina, Cheryl Allan-Flagg in Los Angeles, Dexter Newton in La Plaine, Marsha Dubois and Elwin Joseph in St. Croix and Mrs. Nadia Steadman Monsegue in Louisiana. Special thanks to the Pierre Colaire subcommittee consisting of Finn, Newton and Allan-Flagg.
