The future of the Sunny Side Up breakfast party hangs in the balance as one Diamond Vale resident appeared in court yesterday to object to the Carnival Sunday morning fete at the Diego Martin Secondary School.She was among residents who objected to the party last year and successfully petitioned the court to have D'Original Vale Vibe Breakfast Party denied a bar licence just days before the fete, forcing its last-minute cancellation.This year the Vale Vibe party will be held in Santa Cruz.
The 73-year-old lady, who did not want to reveal her name, told the T&T Guardian she was objecting to the fete on the ground that the noise would affect she and her husband. She said the community was an ageing one and the noise bothered them.She said the school where the party would be held this year was denied a licence for a cooler fete last year for the same reason.
"They could move the fete but I can't move my home," she said.She was not represented by an attorney when she appeared before Magistrate Annette McKenzie in the Port-of-Spain Magistrates Court yesterday afternoon.
Attorney Keith Scotland, who represented the Sunny Side Up promoters, asked if the police prosecutor had any objection to the approval of a licence for the party.But the magistrate said the resident's objections should be heard and adjourned the matter to next Thursday to allow her time to get an attorney as she needed to understand the promoter's objection in law.Contacted afterward, Derek Doragh, one of the promoters of Sunny Side Up, said his event had always been within the guidelines of the Environment Management Authority.Addressing security and parking concerns, Doragh said: "In addition to police, we have 38 security officers and 16 dogs, plus we hire a wrecker to ensure nobody parks on the (Wendy Fitzwilliam) boulevard because we have an allocated space for parking at the back of the school."He believed there was a minority in the area trying to shutdown all activities in Diamond Vale. Last year the promoters gathered about 400 signatures in support of the event.