M/V MASCOT: Fun times!

The season has begun and the local communities are keeping us busy with unique events.
On the Saturday after American Thanksgiving, Hope Town hosted it's 17th annual Box Cart Derby. Where would the event take place, well on 'The Big Hill' of course. We took the ferry from Marsh Harbour to Hope Town for the day as the winds had been blowing strong and the Sea of Abaco was a bit too rough for MASCOT. As it was, the ferry rocked quite a bit and took spray over the top of the boat! Locals on the ferry told us to start walking toward the hill and someone would probably stop and pick us up because that's what they do, otherwise it would be about a mile. We were walking with a crowd of about 15 people when low and behold a guy with a flatbed truck stopped to give us all a ride. They were just finishing up the preliminary time trial races when we arrived and the carts were all hooked up like circus elephants waiting to be towed back to the top of the hill by a golf cart. The event was a quite well attended and the food and drink stands were doing a brisk business. There is an element of danger in this sport as the faster carts can reach 10-15 MPH down the hill and occasionally there is a crash or roll-over. Sure enough, a cart piloted by a 13 year old kid started to wobble and then rolled completely over! On the ferry back to Marsh Harbour, he showed off his scrapes and bruises, and shrugged as though it was not a big deal.

Like circus elephants heading back up the hill

A view of the pit area

Drinks anyone - $5.00

Close race

During the same week, Marsh Harbour had it Christmas Festival located at a gravel lot used for such celebrations. We biked over and when we arrived the main road (the only road) was closed to traffic. Dressed in official costumes and pith helmets, The Royal Bahamas Police Force Band started marching. The band marched back and forth for about 25 yards, turning back into itself at the end of each run. They played traditional Bahamian songs and Christmas carols for about 45 minutes. Inside the 'fair grounds' were a stage, food stands, craft stands, a beer stand (3 for $10!!) and lots of local color. A little lighter in the wallet and heavier in the belly, we headed home.

Royal Bahama Police Force Band

Local Bahamian food stand

The next weekend was the Combustion Music Hope Town Music Festival. The event was at four different outdoor venues and spanned over three days. The artists were all songwriters from Nashville and were combining a vacation for themselves with performances for us. The songwriters hail from Nashville and are responsible for over 70 number one hits. We took MASCOT over to Hope Town and attended the last two of the four shows. It was FANTASTIC! The format was very casual with each songwriter (there were 12 of them) performing a couple of their songs. Some of the songs were recognizable and had been recorded by big name Nashville stars, while others were new and will be recorded. It was a very intimate setting and the performers joked with each other and told stories while they played their acoustic guitars. There was no stage, just a platform set up on the sand. We sat on chairs with our toes in the sand, stars above us, palm trees swaying in the breeze, tremendous sound and fireworks to complete the evening. The whole thing was free! They passed the hat (literally) and over the four events collected $50,000 (yes fifty thousand) to aid Hope Town Fire & Rescue, Every Child Counts, and Friends of the Environment.