May 25th, 2012
At six o'clock, I made my way down to the tent auditorium of Calabash. The area has been beautifully manicured and cared for by Jakes. The large lawn tapers downwards towards a crowding of rocks, bramble and squat seaside trees that over look a rocky cliff. The sea crashes against the uneven sea wall about twenty yards from the edge of the lawn. A large gazebo--essentially, a high thatched roof set on four thick white pillars beautifully decorated with tiny inlays of colored tiles.
By the time I arrived, the white chairs--over a thousand--had been laid out in regimental order throughout the tent area, which was already dark in the pre-sunset shadow. Reggae music of an early vintage filled the space. The place was completely empty except for John DaCosta, the amazing sound and lighting engineer who has been volunteering as our technical director since the inception of the festival. When we began he was a young fellow just into his twenties and sporting a Mohawk--not quite the expected thing a tall black man on tour with major reggae artists as a lighting engineer. John and I chuckled at the gaping emptiness of the space, knowing full well that in an hour the people would start to move in to fill the seats.
There was, however, one person sitting two rows from the front on the right side of the tented area. She sat primly, patiently, her hands in her lap. I told John to get her name. She was the first guest for Jubilation 50! Patiently waiting--one of those who have been before, I thought, and who knows the perfect spot for viewing the stage without distraction.
Her name was Marcia Struper. I made note.
We will do something with that, I thought.
I was doing the thing that has occupied me during these early moments before the lights are up at Calabash for years. I was trying to think of what I would say by way of introduction, who I would thank, our writers, our sponsors, the Jakes staff, the Henzell family, the media, the audience, Novelty Trading Booksellers; then the business of trying to get people to donate to the festival--the levels of their donation, the color coded wrist bands for each level; the business of cells phones, of smoking outside the tent, of buying books, of not asking me about open mike every two seconds, of the food area, of lost and found, of not chatting during readings, and on and on and on. And now I would add another--awarding Marcia with some kind of prize for being the first to hold a seat at Jubilation 50!