Organizations team up for event
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From a 40-meter dash for kids to a sack race for adults, balloon races, hula hoop, beanbag toss and tug of war, Sunday’s Sports and Family Day in Mill Race Park will present lots of opportunity to exercise, to relax and to celebrate the culture of Trinidad and Tobago.
The host, the Columbus Trinbago Association, is partnering this year with Eastside Community Center and Faith, Hope & Love Church of God in Christ to encourage greater participation.
Columbus’ population includes about 150 people from Trinidad and Tobago, said Wayne DeFreitas, president of the local Trinbago Association.
For this year’s event, which will begin at 2 p.m. and end at dusk, local Trinidadians and Tobagonians will be in an especially festive mood as they celebrate the 50-year anniversary of Trinidad and Tobago’s independence from Great Britain.
Adults and children will get to race in various divisions (there’s a “Mums over 35” Dash) and attire (including sacks and costumes), and they can toss water balloons, try to thread needles faster than anyone else, play musical chairs or spit watermelon seeds.
Trinidadians and Tobagonians will share some of their favorite snacks, including pelau (a rice dish) and curry (which can include potato and chicken with pita bread), while the church and the community center will provide barbecued ribs, hot dogs and hamburgers. The event also is being supported through Heritage Fund’s Welcoming Community II Grant.
DeFreitas said the inaugural Sports and Family Day, in 2010, served for local citizens of Trinidad and Tobago to get to know one another and to generate ideas for events and volunteering, including tutoring children and helping newcomers adjust to life in Columbus.
The association this year decided to broaden the event to involve the community at large through the community center and the church.
“Hopefully, its going to be a long-lasting partnership,” DeFreitas said.
The event will include a cricket clinic to boost participation in the local cricket league, which will start next month, and also will include teams from the local India and Pakistan associations.
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