Guyana Small Businesses & Tourism Sectors could benefit from participation
Each year, thousands of Guyanese in the diaspora look forward to Memorial Weekend Celebrations in Georgia. The highlight of the weekend is usually the Guyana picnic held on Sunday of each Memorial Weekend for the past 15 years. This year will be no exception. The festivities continue with numerous Guyanese-club fundraising parties on Friday and Saturday evening. The Guyana Association Of Georgia sponsored picnic on Sunday May 25th at Hallford Stadium (formally Memorial Stadium) usually draws vendors and Guests from as far away as the UK, Canada and several states across the U.S. Families usually arrive at the picnic by 11am and hang out all day to meet greet and rebuild old relationships with long lost loves and friends. There are usually booths for kids, friendly amateur games of soccer and cricket; usually between teams from NY and Georgia, plaiting of the Maypole by Guyanese kids, cultural shows and domino competitions.
The Guyana Association of Georgia sponsored Independence Ball held on that Sunday evening is usually the culmination of a very enjoyable day.
This year the band “de Untouchables” will play with Guyanese DJ Royalle on the turn-tables. This event will be held at the Park Central Banquet Room in Decatur, GA. The weekend’s activities usually end on Monday May 26th with a popular after-lunch event where folks are entertained by popular Guyanese or Caribbean bands. The Byron Lee band has entertainingly regaled the crowds for the past two years.
As the years progress however, some have posited that with such a huge and positive gathering of Guyanese in one place each year, we should challenge ourselves to more than just party and sporting. There is also recognition that many Guyanese have been recently affected by the downturn in the economy causing more than a handful to be recently laid off with big severance cheques in their bank accounts. Many of these nationals are looking south and wondering if Guyana holds any promise as an investment destination.
