Royal Bahamian Police Band

Ambler Isle
V and S
Tue 22 Mar 2011 20:07
Black Suit Guiding Marching Band
Percussion Uniform
Back View, notice head
Bass Drum
Formation
Dancers
Dancers
March 20. 2011
In crisp black, white, red and gold uniforms, the Nassau Police Marching Band stepped smartly down the street, the drum major at the lead with his big baton.  They performed a number of traditional and nontraditional tunes and marched in intertwining circles.  The behind the scenes leader, dressed all in black gave subtle hand signals.  The percussion section wore  leopard skins draped over their chests and shoulders, the head centered in the back.  Everyone, even the local people, snapped photos and  videos, many  with their Blackberries.  This is a far different, more techy Bahamas than even 2 years ago.   Along side the parade, people danced and clapped their hands.  One very noticeable local woman, endowed with a very voluptuous backside, bounced and bopped wildly in tune to the music.  Many children were there.  A "bounce house" had been set up for their fun.  Besides the parade, the police were hosting a "steak out", serving grilled steak, BBQ ribs, and chicken dinners.  After the parade, the Nassau Police Pops band set up.  They played Bahamian music and even the elders were moved to dance.  The lead singer rewarded each lady with a brief serenade.  Everyone there was friendly.  Several black Bahamian teenagers came by to welcome us.  Everyone was respectful to us and to each other.  Children ran around throwing "popper snappers".   Some skipped stones on the water.  During one of the breaks, I met an older white Bahamian gentleman, Mr. Fox.  He was babysitting his grandchildren, 4th generation Long Islanders.  He told me he was a water diviner, able to locate fresh water with a stick.  He also told me some of his "bush medicine" home remedies.  When I told him where our boat was anchored, he knew the boat:  it was anchored right in front of his business, the Hillside Grocery.  He told essentially the same story as we heard from William, our final ride to Salt Pond after the immigration visit.  William also claimed that the Hillside Grocery was his business, started 6 years ago, he bought a small rundown building and tore it down to build a modern grocery.  He even talked about cutting back the hill to make a flat building site.  So, who really owns the Hillside Grocery? My guess is that Mr. Fox is the owner.  Few black Bahamians own businesses.  William is either a partner with Mr. Fox or manages the store for him.  Probably the latter. 
We'd shared a BBQ ribs dinner.  While it was tasty, it was served cold.  They were burning Campari wood to smoke the food.  When the day long event came to an end, many went next door to the Long Island Breeze Resort to continue the fun.  We stayed for a while then returned to the boat with friends Aime and Nancy and watched the "Pirate Bob Party" video.  The rally officially over, many boats left the harbour to return to Georgetown.  We planned to stay til Tuesday, then head north and try our luck at fishing.  We had a few more visits to fit in before then.   A big fishing boat, Stephanie,  came home on Saturday, bearing snapper, hog fish, and lobster.  We might stop up and buy a few lobster.