Ashley’s Lemonade a ‘fresh-squeezed’ hit at Exhibition

Click the red arrow to view photos. *Photos by Kageaki Smith

The 75th Annual Agricultural Exhibition kicked off today with new food stalls, animals galore and plenty of exhibits for all to see.

The theme for this year’s show is ’75 years of Growing our Environment to Protect our Heritage’ with the tagline ‘Come Grow With Us’.

More than 3,000 participants registered for the show in various categories including flower arrangements, jam, and miniature model gardens.

The overall activities include equestrian events, livestock, vegetables, fruits, floriculture, homemade food products, woodwork, traditional kite-making and art competitions.

The first day saw many young school groups, parents with young children and senior citizens.

One new thing this year is a 2-D photo booth run by the Parks Department.

Manuel Palacio painted the outside and Parks worker Keavin Caines painted the inside.

There are various backgrounds people can choose to take their photo.

Mr Caines explained the photo booth, saying, “It’s new this year. It’s something fun and creative for people.

“Just come in the booth and take your picture with your camera or your phone.

“There are eight different backgrounds.”

The photo booth is free.

Just steps away from the photo booth is the popular face painting stall by mother-daughter team Gina and Keola Thompson.

Sniggles Face Painting has been a part of the Exhibition for the past 12 years.

Mrs Thompson said she was surprised at how busy the event was today.

“Over the years it really varies but I was surprised today because it was really busy.

“Normally Thursday is usually the slowest day but we have been pretty busy.”

Asked what draws her to the Exhibition year after year, Mrs Thompson said: “It’s an exciting outing and the kids really look forward to it.

“If they don’t get their face painted, it's like they haven’t been to the exhibition.

‘This is a main attraction to them.”

As far as popular requests, she said: “I have had all sorts of requests.

“Basically at the Exhibition, they ask for butterflies, Spiderman, Batman, princesses, dragons and unicorns.”

In addition to face painting, other activities for kids include fun castles, temporary tattoos and, new this year, a giant inflatable slide.

Unlimited rides are $20 for the day and $5 for two rides.

One new stall that seemed to attract the masses was Ashley’s Lemonade.

The stand is run by ten-year-old Ashley Stephens who is in P6 at Bermuda High School for Girls.

Her mother, Earlette Stephens and Aunt Feria Alpha were in charge of the stand today.

The thing that makes Ashley’s lemonade unique is the drinks are made to order and they offer many varieties including strawberry, very berry, mango and the special of the day.

Ms Stephen explained what makes Ashley’s Lemonade the best: “We do fresh squeezed lemonade. Every order is fresh squeezed, one lemon at a time.

“We have agave and stevia for the people that want to natural sugar.”

Asked how the day was going, she said: “This is our first year and we have had a great response.

“People love it. It’s busier than I expected because everyone said the first day is usually quiet.

“We have had a great response. It’s a nice cool drink and everyone loves something different.”

Sandra Bean came back to the stand multiple times to refill her cup.

She said: “It’s the greatest thing. You don’t have to worry about calories.

“It’s very healthy and I feel better drinking it.”

Another new stand was Bermuda Parent Magazine. Editor Katrina Ball sat giving out the magazine and informing people what it is about.

‘We’re here for exposure,” she said. “We just want to get more people to know about it.

“The response has been great. People say they enjoy it and love it and they’ll look for the next one.”

In addition to stalls and stands, there is also the Main Ring, which many people come to see.

In the Main Ring, there will be several equestrian events over the three days, as well as a goat competition, awards presentations and the opening and closing ceremonies.

The Lower Entertainment Ring will showcase local talent throughout the three days including performances by school groups, puppet shows, music schools, dance troupes, performing artists, and bands.

The Exhibition continues tomorrow and Saturday.