THE Rotary Calabashers know how to throw a bash and they certainly were not bashful during the one they held at the National Cultural Centre (NCC) last Saturday evening.
For many years now, the Rotary Club of St. Lucia has been hosting the annual benefit concert in aid of various charitable causes around the island, including education, health, access to clean running water and medical, to name a few.
This year, however, the focus was on Dominica, which suffered the devastating effects of Hurricane Irma in September. Proceeds from the concert will go towards providing much-needed essentials to the Nature Isle later this month.
While most of the Calabashers do have day jobs, there was hardly any denying that they would fit seamlessly into entertainment. Notable professionals, including Anthony Bergasse, Malcolm Charles, Chester Hinkson, Selma St. Prix and Leevie Herelle, took to the stage to belt out some of the best tunes ever recorded.
The playlist was vast: “Try My Love”, “He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother”, “I Wanna wake Up With You”, “You Needed Me”, “Islands In The Stream”, “Smile”, “Downtown”, “Have I Told You Lately?”, “Chiquitita”, “Another Saturday Night”, “Honeymooning Couple”, “I’ll Take You There”, “Midnight Blues”, “Venus”, “Behold”, “Ben”, “Strength of a Woman”, a Sparrow medley, to name a few.
At $80 a ticket, patrons definitely got their money’s worth as there was never a shortage of nostalgic lyrics and soulful performances from the Calabashers who are known for getting down for the right causes. The large turnout for the show, too, proved that the organizers did a great job overall to attract a giving crowd.
Rotarian Anthony Bergasse told the audience that as an organization, the Rotary Club will continue to push the proverbial envelope through raising awareness and funds so that charities benefit from tangible envelopes of funding.
