Penal community upgrades Valley Harps panyard - Lincoln Holder
South Trinidad s Valley Harps Steel Orchestra now has a refurbished and upgraded home at Sunrees Road, Penal, thanks to community activism.
The concrete structure, decorated using recycled painted strips and bits of old oil drums, was opened on Thursday afternoon.
The band s manager Clyde Flanders recalled getting involved in this steelband thing, just after graduating from secondary school. The band went on to participate in the 1968 Panorama competition. placing second in San Fernando. In 1969, it placed 13th in the country and performed as a guest act at the final. In dem times, whenever Trinidad Valley Harps moved from Penal, the place used to be like a ghost town. Everybody (used to go Port of Spain). And in dem times, we didn t have public transport like now, (so) people used to ride on the trucks, who could hustle a ride here and there.