By Amy Moore
PORT ARTHUR — It was an islander’s paradise with flowing rum punch, colorful flower leis and the beat of island music. The annual Cayman Night festival offered entertainment for the young and young at heart.
An event held to honor the Cayman Islands and their partnership with the city of Port Arthur, Cayman Night proudly welcomed descendants of the flocks of Caymans who came to Port Arthur in the from the 1920s to the 1980s for work in the major port city.
Glenn Chisholm was born in Port Arthur to one of the those Caymans and soon found his way back to the island of his heritage. However, the call of a good time brought him back to Texas with his wife, Tammie, for Cayman Night.
The editor of Cayman Compass News, Tammie said she does whatever she can to inform Caymans of the Port Arthur event because she knows the importance of tourism.
“Tourism is extremely important to an island country and Southeast Texas, especially since they both are still recovering from major storms,” she said.
Tourism alone counts as the number two source of income for the Cayman Islands, Tammie said, and she hopes Cayman Night events in Port Arthur help spotlight the islands for future tourists.
For Port Arthur, though, the event not only draws people looking to catch up with old Cayman friends and relatives, it gives outsiders, like Cheryl and Manson Valle, a chance to see Port Arthur.
After hearing that his longtime favorite band would be headlining Cayman Night, Manson told his wife they would be making the trip from New Orleans to Port Arthur — no matter what. A broken finger and a four hour car ride later, the couple were ecstatic to finally see Barefoot Man and the Barefoot Band live.
“I broke my finger a few days ago, but he told me we were coming if my leg fell off,” Cheryl joked as her husband tapped his foot along with the island beat of the band. “He grew up in Utila all they listened to was this guy.”
Manson said it has been on of his dreams to see Andy Martin and Barefoot play on stage. He even remembers having one of their songs on a 45 as a child, even though he prefers to buy off of their music on cds these days. The out of towners said that one particular song of Barefoot’s has special meaning for them because it is about working offshore, which is what Manson does for a living.
“There’s a 22 Day song that means a lot to us because he’s gone for 22 days,” she said.
The Cayman Night festival turned out a tremendous crowd, according to Sue Parsley, one of the chairpersons for the event. Funds from the event will go toward the Port Arthur’s International Seaman Center and the Port Arthur Chamber of Commerce.
