Go East, young pirate

The beautiful East End is an ideal place to really understand what Grand Cayman is all about during its Heritage Day. 

Things kick off at the East End Playing Field at 11am as the gates are officially opened by Arden McLean, member of the legislative assembly for East End. 

There are arts and crafts all day with many demonstrations and displays to whet the appetite and hook up with some of Cayman’s fine and vibrant history. 

Expect antiques, artefacts, old stamps, historical books and documents, medicinal bushes, local fruit preserves, old time home-made ice cream, stewed fruits, preserved beef and fish and coconut oil making. Among that little lot there’s a bunch of skills that we young ones really do need to brush up on – this is top quality Caymanian ingenuity in a delicious package. 

Brilliant island 

Similarly there are demonstrations of many techniques that have helped Cayman become the brilliant island it is. Among the many demos there are the cane mill, plaiting hats and baskets, knitting fish nets (that’s nets to catch fish, not the kind you wear, presumably), making wampas from dried cow hide, preserving fish and beef, preparing cassava for cake baking, thatching and sharpening tools on old time grinding stones. 

Not only that, we can learn about old time washing, ironing clothes and hair straightening, roasting fresh corns, calavan making with Rodney Welcome and storytelling in the company of Rose Hurlstone. There’s also of course old time games, ring play, plait pole and skipping with bay vine. 

Seafood, cakes, pies and juices take care of lunch and there is music by Panoramers, North Side Kitchen Band and Legend Force Disco to look forward to. 

Not to forget the natural beauties of East End, there are several tours to remind us of the fabulous area. At 1pm, take a tour of Granny Sarah old nature well, at 2.30pm tour the caves, 3pm the lighthouse and 4pm a village tour. 

Also at 4pm the Seattle Seafair Pirates, Blackbeard and Dee Gee will rock up to the party in their own inimitable style. An hour later, Arden McLean, Donna Connolly and Alvin McLaughlin welcome Donovan Ebanks and his party. They’ll be just in time for the rope making demonstration at 5.30pm – something that once made Caymanian artisanship so valued in these waters. 

To celebrate the day and Cayman’s National Festival, presented by SaxonMG, there’s a fab fireworks display at 8pm. East End as ever is bursting with personality and Heritage Day is a great opportunity to see exactly why it’s considered one of the most wonderful destinations on the planet.