Open-air carols for Regent St shoppers

(As part of observances for its 30th anniversary, Stabroek News will be reproducing snippets from its earlier years on page four of each day’s newspaper.) UNITED States Ambassador to Guyana Theresa Ann Tull speaking at Wednesday night’s reception at the USIS library on Main Street, to mark Guyana’s Caribbean Basin Initiative designation. On the Ambassador’s left are President Desmond Hoyte, Trade and Tourism Minister Winston Murray, Mr. Alan Docol, acting head of the USIS in Georgetown, with tie and Mr. Philip Chan, Chief Protocol Officer in the Foreign Affairs Ministry. EFFORTS are being made to make Christmas the joyous season it once used to be.

This year, there are plans to have carol singing on the empty site next to the Beepat building on Regent Street. Organiser of the event, Mr. Dennis Beepat, said that next Friday, and from December 19 to 23 there will be two choirs each night from 6 pm. to 9 pm. performing.

He disclosed that during this time, the stores between Wellington and King streets would remain open, and he added that it is hoped that that section of Regent Street will be cordoned off to vehicular traffic. This, he said, would lessen noise to aid the singers and facilitate easy shopping from store to store.

The organiser noted that 12 choirs in all are expected to participate and these would include the Brickdam Cathedral Choir, The Good Guys led by Vibert De Souza, the Ogle Presbyterian Group and the Choir of St. Joseph The Worker, Church of Linden. He added that other choirs are welcome if they wish to participate. Beepat said that during the singing session, donations may be given to the choirs for their individual parent organisations.

He declared that so far the response to the venture by other store owners has been very encouraging. Beepat recalled that a similar exercise was carried out by Wm. Fogarty’s years ago and he added that this attempt to reintroduce it is “just to put some spice and flavour back into the Christmas season.”