– ahead of week-long 176th anniversary celebrations
THE Stabroek Market Square was on Friday evening hotter than usual as the Mayor and City Council (M&CC) officially launched City Week which forms part of its calendar of activities to mark the 176th Anniversary since Georgetown was made a municipality.
The week-long affair, which is estimated to cost in the vicinity of $19M, is slated to commence on August 19 and conclude on August 25.
According to the M&CC, the objective of having such an activity is to foster closer relationships among employees through sports and cultural and other forms of social activities; to provide an opportunity for the business community to showcase locally- produced items; to help the Council form better alliances with other critical stakeholders; and to improve the Council’s corporate image.
Some of the activities that have been scheduled include such ticketed events as a mayoral dinner and cocktail reception, which is expected to earn the Council some much-needed money.
The Ministry of Social Cohesion, under whose purview such an event falls, will also be hosting a cultural extravaganza, while municipal games are also planned along with a ‘Seniors Treat’ and health fair.
Most of the activities are slated to be held at the Stabroek Market Square, followed by a big celebration on Main Street on the final day of activities.
Addressing the gathering at the launch, Mayor Patricia Chase-Green noted that while Georgetown is a beautiful city, it does have its fair share of challenges.
As such, she used the opportunity to call on the city’s citizenry to do their part to help restore it to the Garden City it once was.
“We are asking everyone to join with us and to assist us in keeping this city clean,” she said.
“It is your city; it is my city; it is our city! We love to be in it; we love to have you in it, so I ask of you as we launch our anniversary celebrations in August to join with us in every single possible way to maintain, and help us to keep Georgetown clean.”
Georgetown gained official city status on August 24, 1842 during the reign of Queen Victoria.
At the time of Independence on May 26, 1966, Georgetown was 6.5 square kilometres. On April 29, 1970, the boundaries of the city were extended, thus enlarging it to 40 square kilometres.
