AS the list of activities for the Linden Town Week is being unveiled for the Linden Town Week Social Planning Committee, Chairman Lawrence Simon and its partners are pulling out all the stops to ensure that all activities on the cards are on stream and will commence as planned.

Simon told the Pepperpot Magazine that unlike last year, instead of a week of activities, this year there will be 13 days of some activities which have been added to attract more people.

He explained that the committee comes under the stewardship of the municipality, and they are tasked with the planning of all social events for Linden Town Week, which started yesterday (April 23).

Simon added that they will ensure that the activities are balanced to include education, sports and edutainment, as well as giving back to society through various planned events.

He disclosed that at the same time, it is also the time to generate some revenue on behalf of the Mayor and Town Council of Linden and a meeting was held to find out where organisers and other key players are in terms of getting the various events off smoothly.

Simon pointed out that 60 events have been planned so far, and they are both fete and non-fete events which cater for all in different categories and for the first time they will host a hamper distribution for the elderly.

He stated that April 29, 2022, is set aside for the town’s 52nd birth anniversary, and it is Wismar Day, when all activities will be held across the river this year and Old England, better known as Siberia, will be the place for the Village Day.

Simon noted that a day has been marked for the Regional Democratic Council’s (RDC) Constituency Day, and the Community Development Councils (CDCs) within the region have been tasked with organising, and that is billed for April 30, 2022.

He stated that they will be having a Bird Whistling competition for the first time ever. Overall, 30 activities have been added to previous events slated for the Linden Town Week calendar of activities this year.

Among the new events added are: Fitness and Soca, an aerobics kind of thing, the teen pageant, which is back after two years and the Banks Guinness in the Streets as well as the Car and Bike Sound Off, Simon said.

On the tourism aspect, he reported that Linden as a tourism package is indeed a scenic place, with more than 40 places to visit, including historical sites, since Linden starts from Bamia to Rockstone, Ituni and Kwakwani.

“At [the] Bamia Checkpoint, we have been told that almost every weekend there has been an increase in vehicular travels with a lot of people passing through, visiting Linden and absorbing what it has to offer,” he said.

Simon stated that there are a lot of activities that can take place in Linden, such as fishing, bird watching, among others and apart from the sites, it is quite picturesque.

It has vast tourism potential, which can be harnessed into a package to promote tourism and increase economic activities in the mining town, he said.

Simon pointed out that there are many attributes as to why one should visit Linden, and it is not only because Linden is noted for its generation of sportspeople in almost every aspect of sports.

He added that in order to accommodate the influx of people in Linden for the 13 days of activities, they have been partnering with 13 hotels, the business community and locals to make their homes a place suitable for visitors — even for a night.

In addition, parking lots and other wide-open spaces have been identified, where people can park and they also have designated drivers on hand.

Simon disclosed that the day tours include a flyover of Linden for only $8000, and they are trying to link that to a Kaieteur trip as a single package.