Long Island Agricultural Expo and Mutton Fest

“Mutton or Nuttin” Festival, Clarence Town

This agricultural expo was much like a north American fall festival or local fare. The aim was to show case local agriculture and fishing, accomplishments and encourage Bahamians to become more self sufficient and less dependent on imported goods.

Due to a last minute change of venue, from Regatta Park in Salt Pond, to the Community Center in Clarence Town, the Department of Agriculture arranged bus transportation for Salt Pond attendees. The majority of the passengers were grateful cruisers anchored in Thompson Bay, Salt Pond. The bus arrived in Clarence Town about noon, to find a few booths with vendors of produce, arts and crafts some livestock and almost no visitors.

It appeared that this would be a very long 8 hours, until the bus departed back to Salt Pond. We were wrong! The crowd remained thin until mid- afternoon. The cruisers enjoyed a very informative presentation about the invasive lionfish and its impact on Bahamian waters. 

This was followed by a demonstration on how to remove the venomous spines, rendering the fish safe to handle, and delicious to eat. Students from the islands two high schools competed in a local cuisine competition. Their fare far exceeded our expectations, both in presentation and taste. These kids have a bright future in the restaurant industry.

In between competitions and demonstrations, we enjoyed some local cuisine, fresh conch salad and conch fritters, washed down with what else, but an ice cold Kalik.     

                                               

Grouper skinning and conch cleaning competitions later drew a large local audience.

 The crowd was later treated to some “rake and scrape music from “The Originals, followed by a great Bahamian singer/ entertainer “Anita”. She certainly  was a crowd pleaser. This was an enlightening and fun experience, and certainly one we would repat again.