West End, Roatan Independence Day Crowd - Biggest Yet !

[roatan]

The Diving Capital of Roatan - West End in Roatan, Honduras pulled off the biggest crowd yet for Independence Day celebrations. If you have ever
been to West End you know it as a place dotted with divers headed to the Caribbean, a few straggling shoppers, and well fed tourists walking off their meal. This Saturday there were so many people that you could not find the sandy road or even separate it from the beach! The Fishing Tournament was on, the parade was starting, food booths were in place, the band was playing, the judges were present, and the onlookers eager to participate in it all! Large and small fishing boats appeared bringing in their prize fish to be measured and weighed. Some Blue Marlin took 5 grown men to carry to the big dangling scale at the arch in West End across from Coconut Tree Divers. Everyone was curious about the Marlins long sword nose and spiny fins. The winner brought in a 282lb. Blue Marlin! A few less Marlins for the Orca Whales this winter, a much discussed issue this year that resulted in an announcement of a catch and release program scheduled for next year.
The parade began with quite a racket and cars honked and kids screamed from festive floats designed to bring the Independence Day Celebration in Roatan to its feet! Shouting and cheering, clapping and catching candy was just a part of event. The costumes, themes, and participants were outstanding this year. A true celebration of color! A special thanks to everyone who made it so special for the "kid" in all of us!
The FOOD! Oh the FOOD! It was fantastic! From barbequed chicken, pork, beef, and fish, to potato salad, beans and rice, tortillas, salsa, fruit, and rice pudding, the food just kept rolling. There were grills going everywhere, coolers, bags and bags of ice, and more tupperware than i have ever seen in one location in my life! The prices were great and no one went hungry! Families and more families hit the scene. Old friends gathered together and new Roatan arrivals were introduced. Kids wove in out of adult legs occasionally glancing up to be sure they had made their way back to the right parents. The community family atmosphere prevailed for most of the night.
The fireworks were beautiful and fun in that we all enjoyed them during a thunderstorm...a new one for me. I do not know which was more beautiful, the lightening or the fireworks themselves. It made for hugging kids closely and keeping our eyes fixed on the sky! The grand finale was a real whopper of a light show for all!

Bob and Lynne Millsaps
www.Roatan.ws