Former Toshao of Mainstay/Whyaka Village and former Chairman of the National Toshao Council (NTC), Joel Fredericks, a resident of the community, is responsible for the cultural aspect of the activities for the National Heritage Day to be hosted in the community on September 10 at 10:00 hours.

He told the Pepperpot Magazine that a lot of activities have been planned for that day for both the night and day and the Village Council asked him to spearhead all sports activities, as well.

In addition to cricket and football, they will have other games such as crab catching competition, firewood competition for both males and females, wine tasting where 10 local wines made from fruits will be sampled.

Fredericks stated that other games like the naming of birds, trees and fishes in a minute are also on the cards for the National Heritage Day in Mainstay/Whyaka.

He pointed out that for the competitions, prizes are up for grabs and it will be decided whether it is monetary or in the form of trophies.

Fredericks reported that this year’s heritage celebrations in the village will be massive since they are hosting it and they will surely put on a proper stage show and have other things in place to have the people occupied.

“This is the perfect opportunity for us to showcase our culture, talents and what we can do as a people and we are looking forward to making the event possible together,” he said.

He added that on display will be their local foods, drinks and craft and there will be plenty to eat, drink and it will be merry.

“On September 10 come down to Mainstay/Whyaka Village. Bring your family and friends, we are catering for you and we have a grand celebration to observe our heritage,” Fredericks said.

He noted that people can bring their hammocks, tents and whatever else they want to even though they have accommodation for them and it will be good to sit by the lake when the campfire is lit in the evening.

“All are welcome, come on down to Mainstay/Whyaka, it will be grand and basically, we have all the preparations under control. Things are happening here and fast,” he said.

Fredericks told the Pepperpot Magazine that from September 4, members of the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) will be in the village to assist in the preparations and they will host them in the defunct pineapple processing plant.

The old pineapple processing plant will be converted into a water processing facility in the near future.

When the team visited Community Infrastructure Improvement Project (CIIP), workers were weeding and cleaning the building and the surroundings to make it ready for the army.
Fredericks related that the population in Mainstay/Whyaka is about 700 and the land mass is large with houses scattered in the various sections of the village, which includes Whyaka, Red Lack and Hill Top
He stated that they have seen a lot of development in the village and the Village Council is working with both the administration and other private sector agencies to facilitate projects to improve the lives of the locals.

SAMANTHA PEARSON-SMITH
Meanwhile, Samantha Pearson-Smith is a resident of Mainstay/Whyaka who is a volunteer and she spends many hours doing community-based projects to benefit others.

She has been lending her time to the community for the past 21 years and is the kind of woman, who does not sit still and is always on the go.

Pearson-Smith is a married mother of three children, including a toddler, and they often complain she spends more time out of the home than at home.

She is also a farmer and rears poultry on a large scale. At times she would have 4000 chickens in the large pens she has in her backyard.

In addition, she is a businesswoman who has a shop at her home, a little shop on the lower flat of her house where you can find just about everything from hardware to groceries.

Pearson-Smith is multi-talented and is very versed in cooking and making Amerindian wines. This year, she made corn and potato wines.

She told the Pepperpot Magazine she has lived all her life in the community and she is contented with the quiet and peace of the place.

Pearson-Smith stated that having been there for 44 years she is grounded and cannot be relocated because it is home.

This resident is very enterprising and has a restaurant at her home where meals can be prepared fresh in good time.

She offers fresh-caught Morocut fried fish with chips, Morocut tuma pot, barbeque labba, lukani tuma pot and in cackura sauce, creole fowl in cadakura sauce with cassava bread.

The restaurant is a partnership between Pearson-Smith and her sister, who is the head teacher of the nursery school in the village.
The name of the eating house is Samantha/Minerva Local Indigenous Foods.