By Stephen Weir

You could tell that everyone was pumped to cheer on the children.  A city ambulance stuck a Trinidadian flag on its hood. A Caribbean man donned a banana costume and walked the parade route handing out bananas to the junior revellers.  Local politicians waved and cheered and parents cried for joy when they saw their kids play mas on Neilson Road in Malvern!

If you were able to ignore the punishingly hot sunshine and the lack of a cooling wind, Saturday’s Junior Carnival Parade and Family Day was a great day to be in Malvern. There were over 2,000 little masqueraders wearing costumes belonging to nine competing bands. An estimated 8,000 people lined the parade route.

 “We hired one ambulance to attend the parade and the city sent another two and a cool-down bus” parade organizer Eric Delfish.  While there were a number of heat- related calls along the parade route “most of the people treated were adults!”

Mayor John Tory and Deputy Mayor, Michael Thompson, along with other councillors and MPPs cut a ribbon to start the 5-hour parade, which ends with an exciting Family Day event at Neilson Park.

Many came to see Adrian Duncan, Trinidad’s 16-year old four-time junior calypso monarch. Duncan is a hot commodity on Netflix. His 2015 song “Can You Feel It” is featured in the film Dolphin Kick.

The Junior Chef Culinary Competition, sponsored by Grace Foods Canada Inc, provides a platform for young aspiring chefs to demonstrate their culinary skills and promote passion for healthy eating and lifestyle with their first cooking teacher – their parents.

This year the $700 title prize was won by Neraj St Ange and his Mother Misha Edwards. Neraj and his  St. Vincent Canadian mom with an offering of grilled chicken in a coconut cream, and seasoned with jerk sauce.  The side dish they made was Breadfruit salad.

This year’s winners:

Band of the Year –Jamaal Magloire’s Toronto Revellers. Band Theme: Treasure Island

2^nd Place – Curtis Eustace’s Lil Nationz. Band Theme: Savannah

3^rd Place – Louis Saldenah’s Mas K Camp. Band Theme:  Heart Beat the Thrill of Life.

Junior Female Individual – Under 10 – SANAA JOSEPH-BRERETON, the Lil Devil – Sunlime

2^nd Place – KHADIJAH SMITH, Music is Life – Costume Creators

3^rd Place  – SAVANNAH WRIGHT, Princess of the Sea, Toronto Revellers

Junior Male Individual – Under 10 – MARQUEE ST. LOUIS, The Lost Pirate, Toronto Revellers

2^nd  – JOANAN PRINCE CAGE DUNCAN, Look De Mas Coming, Carnival Nationz

3^rd – NYZE JOHN, Venomous Bat, Venom Carnival

Junior Female Individual – Under 16 – JADA WHITE – Heat Wave In The City, Sunlime Canada

2^nd Place, LEILA ADORE LINO, The Rise of the Phoenix, Fantazia Carnival

3^rd Place, CHIONE REDHEAD, Monarch Butterfield, Venom Carnival

Junior Male Individual – Under 16 – AMARI BOWEN-OTCHERE, Lord Voldermort, Tribal Carnival

2^nd Place, MARQUEE ST. LOUIS. Lost Pirate, Toronto Revellers

3^rd place – JOANAN PRINCE CAGE DUNCAN, Look De Mas, Carnival Nationz

Queen – SADIE MURPHY. Burrokeet Come To Town, Carnival Nationz

2^nd Place – KAYLINDA MUPESSE – Love and Emotion, Mas K Camp
3^rd Place – MAKEDA JOSEPH-BRERETON –Carousel of Love, Sunlime

King – JALIL VINCENT RAMPERSAD – The Jester Grin – EPIC Carnival

2^nd place SKYLLER GEORGE – The Midnight Robber – The Toronto Revellers

3^rd place – ELIAS DASQUE – Heartbeat of the Itsy-Bitsy Spider – Mas K Camp