By Stephen Weir

Photographs by Don Moreland

It started Friday night and ended early Sunday evening – three junior

carnival band launches in three days in Scarborough.

D’ New Regulars & Foreva Carnival,

Venom Carnival and Epic Carnival held parties and costume shows for youngsters interested in taking part in

the Junior Carnival Parade this summer.

About 50 parents and children came to the Nugget Avenue Twilight Restaurant early Friday evening to see the junior costumes designed by D’New Regulars & Foreva Carnival. It was a free event – complete with food and face painting – to display the costumes  for the July 21^st Junior Carnival Parade in Malvern, part of the Toronto Caribbean Carnival.

The launch got off to a late start with about 20 children taking to the stage at 8 p.m. just when the

fete was sheduled to end.  The children were full of energy on stage and the parents gave them all a standing ovation.

On Saturday afternoon parents were back with their children on Nugget Avenue – this time at the Twilight Warehouse, a few doors down from the café where the Friday show had been held. The Venom Junior show was a high energy performance, with four sections hitting the stage over the course of an hour.

When it was all over, over a hundred parents at this event rewarded the youngsters with an extended ovation.

On Sunday at the Epic Carnival launch it was easy for the 30 young models – both female and male in four sections — to keep cool, thanks to the venue.  They performed on a large stage built atop an ice-covered curling rink at the Tam and Heather Club on Military Trail.  About 100 parents and children took in the free event.

At most of the junior launches the girls tend to be the more polished performers – big dance steps, poise and presence.  This was the case at Epic but for one young man wearing black dragon wings. He stood out from the crowd by showing everyone that dragons can indeed fly, spending most of his two-minute routine in the air.

To date, eight mas’ camps have held costume launches for the children.  There will be three more weekend parties before the July 21^st Junior Carnival Parade and Family Day which will take place in Malvern adjacent to Neilson Park.