The third annual “Taste of the Caribbean” carnival is planned for Aug. 15 but the approval of the Saugerties village board is needed for the event, carnival director Martin Dunkley said at the board’s regular meeting on Feb. 3.
If all goes according to plan, the music, colors, aromas and tastes of the island will grace Cantine Field following a parade, said Dunkley. He’s the owner of Seasoned Delicious, which sells Caribbean foods and products through groceries and supermarkets.
The planned parade “will take place on a much larger scale, including Washington Avenue, Main Street, and then up Market Street,” Dunkley said. Last year, it just went up Washington Avenue, he said. It’s planned to start at 10 a.m.
The parade already has approval from the police department and from Cantine Field.
Mayor William Murphy said the choice of a Saturday rather than a Sunday could be problematic, as businesses would be open, and the parade could interfere with their operations. Dunkley felt the event could increase the sales of Saugerties businesses if it were held on a Saturday. He was also sensitive to church observances on Sunday: “We didn’t want to interfere with that,” he said.
Murphy was encouraging. “I believe we can make this work,” he said. “The first thing would be to do due diligence and go to business owners.”
The mayor suggested that the board hold off on approval until the business owners had been contacted. He noted that restaurants and bars — businesses fairgoers would most likely patronize — would be open on Sunday.
Would Dunkley consider holding the event on Sunday? He said it would be difficult to change the date, as “we already have our marketing stuff out there.” He agreed to discuss his plans with businesses and continue discussions with the board.
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