Throwback Jerseys to relax and enjoy nature

micevan1l6

By Ralph SeeramDo you know that New Amsterdam had a horse race track and a motor racing track? Yes it is true. I guess those of you from Berbice and New Amsterdam are wondering what am I talking about, there is no place in N/A that can’t accommodate a horse race track, much less a motoring racing track. Truth be told I was there; I witnessed it and that land is still there sitting unused.This, as I have said,Artemi Panarin Jersey, was a beautiful and peaceful town, founded in1791. New Amsterdam was a very independent and self reliant town. It generated its own electricity from what was called “the power house” then located in Stanleytown along the Strand or what the locals called “Waterside Road”.It boasted its own water supply plant more known as” water works”. This water was pumped from the Canje Creek and stored in the reservoir, what was then called “back dam trench” located along Republic Road (Backdam Road). This reservoir, as I said, in a previous article served as a swimming pool for the local residents.Speaking of Republic Road, it used to be clean and well kept. The trunks of those tall trees that lined the road were always painted white; it was a place to go for an evening stroll, and doubled as a lover’s lane when it got a bit darker.Floods were unheard of because the drains and trenches were always kept clean and not cluttered with trees and weeds. The citizens of the town were more civic minded; they did not strew garbage on the streets as I have notice on recent visits. It does not take much to keep a small town as New Amsterdam clean. Some cooperation between the Town Council, Civic leaders, various organizations including the business community can solve this problem.Sometimes it is not the residents fault, and I will give you an example. Some time ago I visited the New Amsterdam market, I bought some bananas that I cannot get in Florida. As I was eating the bananas outside the market I realized I had a problem. I could not find a garbage bin to throw the peels away.I looked around everywhere, no garbage container, and this in one of the busiest areas of the town,Brad Richards Red Wings Jersey, right in front of the Town Hall. I had to take the banana peel home to dispose of it.So you see the problem here, you want the residents to keep the town clean but you do not have garbage containers for the public to throw away their garbage. Each business place should have garbage containers in front of its premises. The municipality should also ensure the garbage is picked up on a regular basis.With this in place residents should be made to understand that there will be a fine for littering. Where I live if I am caught throwing a piece of paper in the street I will be fined US$100. That, my fellow readers, is a very strong incentive to help keep the city clean.One of the most beautiful places in the Town was the Gardens, which was completely destroyed to build that monstrosity of a court house. Located at the corner of Vryheid, Queenstown and Esplanade Road; this was truly the jewel of the town with its manicured lawns,Andre Branch Dolphins Jersey, well kept flower beds, palm tress of all varieties and secluded pathways.This was the place to meditate, to relax and enjoy nature, families came here for a stroll,Fernando Rodney Jersey, and babies in strollers were a familiar sight. A gazebo was in the center, and believe me, lovers made full use of it at dusk.I recall various churches holding their fund raising bazaars and fairs there. The dances were held in the gazebo you had to pay probably six or eight cents to dance with a girl, part of the funding efforts, music was always by “Joseph juke box” probably the only known “juke box man” in the town.They were not known as DJ’s then. One of the main attractions for the kids was the manatees that lived in a large pond filled with Victoria Lilies.The Gardens also housed the old court house which was the seat of Government when Berbice was a separate Country. Yes, Berbice was a country by itself; guess some of you did not know that. It was a pity that the old building was destroyed; here was a building that should have been preserved because of its historical significance.It had some ornate marble columns and other marble architecture which compared to the best of some I have seen in New York City. By the way New York City was originally named New Amsterdam. That name is still engraved on some of the older buildings.I will tell you in a moment where the race track was. Recently when I visited  I asked my friend Gregory where the entertainment was , surprisingly he took me outside New Amsterdam, he explained that most of the entertainment was outside the town, back in the day people came in the town for entertainment. One of the favourite places was the Penguin Hotel on Strand. On a recent visit to the hotel I observed that the V I P room was being restored to the grandeur it once had. That room holds so many memories for so many people.Yes the car and horse race track were one. It was located on the Esplanade between the Esplanade Road and the Berbice River. It was the brainchild of Hilbert Spence a former Minister of Trade and former President of the Berbice Chamber Of Commerce.It was in the late sixties. His vision was to create a park including the race track, a recreation park,Deion Jones Falcons Jersey, playing fields and a pavilion. Some of his dreams did materialise; a horse race meeting was held as well a motoring racing.One of the problems facing the new entity was flooding. It was located on lowlands  adjacent to the Berbice River, so it was flooded frequently. A plan was made to redo the infrastructure to control the flooding, this called for large capital investments, which would have paid for itself in the long term,Wholesale Authentic Jerseys, never the less the money could not be raised and the project was abandoned. Today except for a small playfield, nature has reclaimed the land.Ralph Seeram can be reached at Email: [email protected]