Sousa: Ag Show Will Take Place April 16, 17, 18
The Ag Show will take place on April 16th, 17th and 18th, Jeff Sousa said today [Feb 18] in a post on social media, adding that everyone has eight weeks left to prepare, and more information about the event will follow.
“We are very happy to inform you that the Ag Show will take place on April 16th, 17th and 18th,” Mr Sousa said. “So you have eight weeks to get that rabbit looking sharp, and put your final plans together for that vegetable critter.
“Get together with granny and start practicing making that glass candy and cup cakes!!! The Show Will Go On!!!! More info to follow but start planning Bermuda.”
In a subsequent post, Mr Sousa said he was about to attend a meeting and “will substantiate who the we is later.”
“This is a community driven effort put on for the community and supported by the community,” added the OBA MP and Sousa’s Landscaping owner, who has spearheaded the campaign to ensure the event takes place.
Slideshow showing some of the exhibits, attendees and events from past Ag Shows
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Anyone who may wish to assist can contact Mr Sousa via jeff@slm.bm or see the “Volunteer for 77th Ag Show” Facebook page here.
The Facebook page description says, “We are looking for volunteers to assist in many areas so that this years 77th Ag Show is a huge success. This years Ag Show will take place but it will be driven by a community effort.
“This show is truly about the fabric which makes up our island and it has always bought us together as a people. So together we are going to make this the 77th Ag Show a huge success. We will not let down our children or for that matter many of our seniors that enjoy it just as much.”
The annual event, which attracts thousands of people each year, normally takes place at the Botanical Gardens over a three day period, and involves an equestrian competition, and a wide array of exhibits including animals, baked goods, plants, flower arrangements, crafts and more.
Last month Finance Minister Bob Richards provided an overview of possible cost cutting measures, and said that one was to suspend the Ag Show for one year for which would save $400,000.
What cost cutting measures may be implemented will be revealed this coming Friday [Feb 20], as Minister Richards is set to deliver the 2015 Budget in the House of Assembly.
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Category: All, Environment, News
Excellent!
A good concept, but did Govt. give $180,000 to an entity to fix a Giant tent at Pier 6 because it wasn’t insured, ARE YOU SERIOUS !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Glass half empty kinda guy, hey?
Go and get yourself some help bro. You are bitter.
Was insured. Wasn’t covered. Please learn to read.
This just gives private individuals to setup and make cash without the help of Gov
“This is a community driven effort put on for the community and supported by the community.”
Fantastic news! This is how it should be anyway! It should never have become so costly and big for it’s britches!
I do hope there is a vendor with a cotton candy machine – LOVE that cotton candy
I can promise you that the specialized youth arts charity will have their cotton candy stand there.
Healthy options to the regular junk food would be nice.
Bermuda Diabetes Association will be there as usual, vending fresh fruit and water. Happy Ag Show!
Thank you MP Sousa for pulling this together, definetley a refreshing Change from the last administration who loved the grandstanding and photo ops!!! Their last drive I can recall was for the most recent earth quake victims in Haiti I beleive it was?? The plp was asking for all types of donations as they were putting containers together to ship the donated items down there, to this day we have never heard ONE thing about how that went, and I asked repeatedly???? Huge difference between DOERS and POSERS!!!!!!
So much for doing…many people in my circle don’t feel or see the doers. But kangoocar if you look between the Y and I on your computer you can see the real idiot on bernews,
Now that was funny !
@really, I can only assume that the TRUTH really stings people like you and the likes of coffee, is hurling insults the only thing you have left??? How about thanking MP Sousa for doing this???
At the same time we can thank his circle for giving $180,000 to fix the Giant temporary tent at Pier 6 that wasn’t INSURED.
The 180k is a loan – not a gift. What don’t you understand about that? Even a PLP-person should be able to grasp this.
But I guess you’d rather spreading lies.
the pot calling the kettle black – read your first post idiot to learn who was hurling insults – your stupid!
now thats mine.
Awwww shaid aappp awready !
i noticed that god first commented on a previous post but not on this one, hummm!
This island is a real joke , now lets start with this 400 thousand said to be spend on wages lets not forget the parks staff have worked the ag show for straight time , day in lou , basically free. If it was about the money why wasn’t it discuss like times before. Now the AG show actually takes in money for those three days which equates to more than 400 thousands , the question is where the money goes and for a heads up it does not go back to the parks dept. With the damage done from three days of massacre of destruction of the grounds the parks dept gets no money to repair until the budget is read for the following year. Now back to the question , where does the money go? Now under UBP the charities ran the tickets an parking sales out of that money aquarium got a few dollars the rest who knows? Under PLP they saw the money that was coming in a took over the ticket ,parking an concession stands which went straight to the account general. Now the cost went up through the whole police force there , security , and let say unnecessary things. Now the Parks staff maybe 30 staff work the other are continuing running the island affairs. Thursday an Friday regular day over time on the saturday , trying to do the math to where this 400 thousand is spent on wages?? Now another thing if the government can’t afford the AG show and Jeff is Part of government the last time i checked civic conflict of interest. I will say before you ran for a seat in parliament u should have declared any Government Interests an contract O i forgot know one showed up to do that and they say lucipher is bad ha ha ha. Now the feeling is that they want the charities back on the gate taking money, That the community that is helping. Now another thing U all need to be adult We had to hurricanes back to back the Parks Dept is still cleaning the grounds from fallen trees all the building damage its one looking like a tornado through it to the ground why taking long the jobs have been on freeze now for about 4yrs staff low through budget cuts not an excuse just saying. Now Jeff if u really wanted to help u could have sent some of ur workers to help clean i know u got the time lost a few contracts hey , i thinking u sniffing for more. If u cared about the kids u need to talk with ur party chopping an changing the education any way , people please please save your money its a scheme don’t get caught in the emotional flare they inject. Be real half of u don’t go there to look at what the parks staff have on display like the actual gardens . The cotton candy donut line be the longest all day straight poison diabetic for sure we number one right just saying lol if u cared about the children ur first words won’t be come get cotton candy . It would be telling the truth on why the ag show isn’t going on that the structure is damages. No where in the world would the health an safety allow so many people on grounds that are not properly sound i.e where are the bath rooms how many is there the roofs on building are leaking from hurricane , hangers are still in the trees . Basically give the grounds time to heal thats if you really care. Let the grounds be prepared for 2017 the america cup .Your gardens are people first impression of you an normally your first impression is the last. Food for thought. PS can anyone tell me how many endemics we have native plants endemic ferns and please don’t say cedar tree lol this would let me know who really goes to the BOTANICAL GARDEN. O an Jeff you don’t impress me
Your message was too long but I thought I would comment – Less is more.
This event should be boycotted
Please don’t go… we wouldn’t you ruining your day. There are hundreds of children who would disagree with you.
Keep wallowing in your misery.
Why would anyone advocate for the boycotting of such an event that is enjoyed by thousands of Bermudian children?
You are heartless and all for politics too I imagine. Disgusting.
TLDR.
Learn to spell, use correct grammar and sentence structure.
pure a**, did you not get the jist of the comment?!
The Botanical Gardens are a disgrace to Bermuda. While I for one, appreciate all the work the Parks dept did after the hurricanes it does not excuse that state of our parks since. The problem with continues to be lack of management from the top. It’s not fair to blame the actual workers who are only doing what their told. Wait until that maintenance yard goes in there, then the Botanical Gardens will be nothing more than a sad joke.
The majority of the island are disillusioned. As I work for Botanical Gardens and Parks, I’ve done this event for the past 7yrs. If Jeff Sousa thinks he can run this, he’s a bigger fool than Mr. Bean.
Here’s a few questions for thought:?
Who will stay on top of trash, who will organize the concession stalls, who will run the parking properly, keep the bathrooms clean, fix the power outages; which we have every year;, who will accept the exhibits, who will make sure the grounds are cleaned up on Saturday and Sunday, and I mean both Botanical Gardens and Tucker’s property across the street. You will need people to put up the security fences and build up the cages for the birds.
As Lucipher said we still have no bathrooms, buildings that need repair and painting. Oh well the Minister says SHOWS IS A GO, and we the Parks staff are not to lend a hand.
Well at least when it fails, there is no finger pointing at Government or their workers. Just at Jeff Sousa, an elected government member of Parliament who is going against the plans set fourth by his peers.
Enjoy the disaster. Oh ya ain’t even mentioned what if it rains. Cars will be getting stuck and as they tried before the volunteers aren’t any help with that or parking.
No problems on any issue. Watch out, this may very well be the best run show ever. Rain won’t stop them. That is what farm tractors are for. Ever heard of Porta Potties? Beneficiaries of the various charities which benefit from the show can help clean up every day.
If parks staff want to show some goodwill & lend a hand on their own time, great. Don’t expect any sympathy from the general public if you don’t.
Farm tractors sure, destroy the turf more than it already gets destroyed. If it becomes the best show so be it. But since everyone keeps talking about how the grounds aren’t fully cleaned since the storms, well where were the volunteers to help clean up the grounds. The Gardens, Senate and Arboretum should’ve been first priority of clean up after roads, in that order. Didn’t happen, by the time the Gardens were made priority government were probably 100k into hire trucks and machinery rentals. Did you as the public consider that? We had asked the gardens to be closed for at least 6mths to the public so we could do major clean up and repairs. We were given 3mths and then 2 days as the Masterwork Foundation decided to open for business and kiddie camp.
Everyone wants to blame the Department or the workers, but when you ared told how it’s gonna go you have to deal with it.
Here’s a saying I’ve heard in my 7+ yrs of employment in Parks. “MANAGEMENT HAS THE RIGHT TO MANAGE!” That starts from Minister down not just front office.
As we have been told as workers from our Minister to not aid in any setup for show, but to do our normal ag show preps, as well as showing up for work on the Thursday and Friday and work as our normal day. Cutting grass, blowing leaves, driving the truck around grounds picking up horticultural trash. Go figure!
I bet all the crying Union workers would be there!
Taking a day off “sick”, no doubt.
Nope we will be working as normal, cutting grass, raking, doing flower beds working thru all the dog mess that’s here.
A normal working day for Botanical Gardens staff.
I think everyone should now support Sousa’s landscaping.. either to have landscaping done. or purchase your plants and other material from there…Get all your Easter plants and flowers.. treat your mom to having her yard landscaped
you all been getting less all this time thats why you all so backwards gave you something to read any the only comment to long bet you read 50 shades of grey 1,2,an 3 bet you didn’t say that was long . People without no Nation no Birth rights, no identity, subjects , no jurisprudence ,no jurisdiction, only a status thats gives you know standing in law . Do you even have a national anthem let me stop before it to long . And yes Born an raised here can you say the word indigenous from the soil before 1609
What on earth are you talking about?
Can’t see why the BTA hasn’t offered to sponsor the Ag show .
Cause those idiots spent money on some ugly tent on Front Street.
Why should they? April is not a big tourism month & the AG Show is a locals thing anyway.
And mess with the C.E.O’s $7,000 a week pay check, I don’t think so.
It has nothing to do with tourism.
The bta is helping out with a fashion show and that has nothing to do with tourism either.
So what does Cup Match have to do with Tourism ?
Do your research kiddy. cup match is well known off the island.
Well done Jeff Sousa. Way back the show was probably run by private individuals anyway so it is going back to its future. With enough people involved taking care of their various sections it should be relatively light work for all.
Been to a few county fairs & state fairs. All well run. All over areas much much larger than here. Alway amazed at how little security they had & how clean the grounds were kept compared to here.
I think this is a good thing the comming togather. Of people for one cause my hats of to Jeff and mr we for pulling this off but as one blogger stated this particular event has a good financial intake thru ticket sales ,parking fees etc. my question to the organizers is what is the plan for the funds that will be made at the event ? After all expensis have been paid it would be nice to know and have a break down of the cost
Once again thanks to the ones who are pulling this togather
No good deed goes unpunished! Well done Jeff!
Well done, his party gave $180,000 to fix an uninsured Giant temporary tent at Pier 6.
Ok, for those who struggle to read (or simply don’t want to):
The $180,000 is a LOAN. A loan is a sum of money TO BE REPAID. See that? Repaid. That means that the BTA will get the money back over time, all while saving events which would otherwise not have gone ahead, events which provide jobs and revenue earning opportunities for, yes, you guessed it, Bermudians!
You’re welcome.
That is much too complex for them to understand.
It is paid to spread lies, just ignore it.
Well who is the Star here -Taah Daaah ‘ its Jeff Sousa’ and the demon turns out to be non other then Bob Richards.
The OBA should have known that cencellation of the Ag Show was going to be extremly unpopular among
the oppositions base and there own base.– a public outcry on both sides of the fence.
Hey Govt. of the day – in the future please let people of Bermuda know in advance what steps your going to make in any event so that private funding can be pursued or arranged. — you can’t run the country by spear of the moment tactic’s!
nah. the villain is the BTUC leadership who saw the writing on the wall and wouldn’t even give up overtime for a temporary period or have their members contribute just 1% more to their underfunded pensions.
If you can’t cut the big stuff then it is inevitable the small stuff has to be sacrificed.
pretty simple to understand.
Spear of the moment? Dude, if you’re going to get all literary, at least get your phrases sorted out first.
The OBA is playing the good cop , bad cop game with this AG Show fiasco . They will get zero mileage out of what they are trying to make a government vs union conflict .
Thank you Mr. Sousa for putting this together. People don’t realize that numerous charities depend on the exhibition for funding during the year. It’s an excellent fundraiser.
great run by the private sector, now we can do away with all the little restrictions.
I’m a young mom and its important that one of the only local shows still go on. My kids and several other kids both bermudian born and non-bermudian born get to experience the culture of this island. This is important.
Thanks MP Sousa. Job well done!
can’t help but think if Govt cancels the never changing always the same BDA Day Parade. Work stoppages and protests I bet. Souza shows em how its done!
Well played OBA, Well Played.
This is how the real Bermuda works together.
Thank you Jeff Sousa for stepping in to help put the AG show on.
The Botanical Gardens is a COMPLETE DISGRACE……….!!!!!
22 PEOPLE ARE EMPLOYED there and the place is a DUMP.
IT IS A TOTAL EMBARRESMENT to BERMUDA and the people who visit there.
It will have to be cleaned up I guess by VOLENTERS to host the event.
Um mate Botanical Gardens is understaffed, there are only 13 workers here. Yeah it’s a disgrace, government keeps cutting the budget, they cut the budget for the government plant nursery, marketing centre as well as for Parks Dept. How can people do work without the proper tools? Can you put up a roof without rafters? So how do you expect us to complete work without proper equipment?
Hey Camden 1, sounds like you work there…Where are your tools?? are they stolen?? you need a rake, hoe and a pair of clippers. What does it take to weed a garden? Yes the place is a disgrace, I should know. Can you remember when Peter Truin was in charge down there, opps that was before your time, the place was immaculate…!!!! So out of you 13 how many actually work and how many punch in and disappear? If your work was done everyday, we would not need such a massive push to put the place together for the AG Show. And please don’t give me the excuse that you are still cleaning up from the Hurricanes, all you do is point fingers…. just give us the taxpayers who pay your salary an honest days work with what you have……
thank you
So who gets the gate receipts? The budget may cost $400K but who gets the takings? Is this being distributed to our ‘volunteers’ to break even without a return or are they all being donated to Govt? Perhaps charities? See, if they are not volunteers which means profiting, then it’s a business enterprise which means paying taxes and such if employees are hired. See this can get more complex. I await Mr. Sousa providing more details.
I think it’s great that the Ag Show will go on to showcase the farm animals and such which is a traditional yearly outing for the kiddies, etc but I find it absolutely stunning how $400K can be raised in a nanosecond and our school students are suffering with one marker being distributed per teacher, etc. Priorities, priorities. Wow.
what business is it of yours?
My understanding is that a charity ran the gate and kept that money- saw it reported recently. Correct me if I am wrong.
Would they not simply use the proceeds to fund the other community events throughout the year?
I suppose if the Ag Show was running at a loss which is why it was probably dropped by Govt in the first place (losing some revenue I might add), and these volunteers are prepared to take this one off hit, it’s on the basis that it is volunteering. However if this were true privatization then somebody will want a profit and I bet my last dollar that the Ag Show will not go on unless there are huge rentals in the stalls and the gate receipts are significantly high. This is a great model to illustrate to those singing the privatization song. Watch closely.
If it was running at a loss the revenues don’t matter then do they as they are consumed by the expenses?
There really should be a town hall on basic finances for this island.
The figures are close, about 380k. The figures about what is paid to parks workers in overtime is crap. Not even 40k goes to overtime pay, about 60k goes for tents. Then its the security, entertainment and rentals.
Yea they loose money every year since I’ve been here for the past 7yrs. Goverment had the correct idea to cancel. Allow buildings to be repaired, the rest of the storm cleanup to be completed. Give us the 6mths we were we supposed to after the storms to clean up. Ijs
They used to use staff on O/T (time and a half) for all security and gave them a lunch ticket as extra benefit. Probably much cheaper than the latter security firm. Interesting to know how much they charged?
@ Politricks. Well I hope you are the first in line. Because basic accounting (finances) dictates that you consider both sides/amounts, revenues and expenses no matter how small. Proper accounting should not net the two and not disclose in order to properly analyze. Any revenue earned does matter to the overall total no matter how small especially if eyes are on it to privatize. Maybe fees need to increase? Maybe expenses need to decrease? I was just illustrating that there will be some revenue forgone for Govt for dropping the Ag Show even though it will be less than its expenditures. It’s certainly not $0. That’s all.
@serengetiperson: “what business is it of yours?”
Mr. Sousa made it our business. Read the article again. He says and I quote above:
“We are very happy to inform you that the Ag Show will take place on April 16th, 17th and 18th,” Mr Sousa said. “So you have eight weeks to get that rabbit looking sharp, and put your final plans together for that vegetable critter……In a subsequent post, Mr Sousa said he was about to attend a meeting and “will substantiate who the we is later”
Lol.
This just goes to show Bermuda who gets things done in our Island.Job well done !!!!