Bl6—Lancaster Farming, Saturday, October 9,1982
IfYE shares experiences in Trinidad
LANCASTER Rebecca Ruhl,
Pinkerton Road, Mount Joy, is
representing Lancaster County in
the Intemaitonal 4-H Youth Ex
change program this year. She is
spending six months visiting the
island countries of Trinidad-
Tobago, and living and working
with farm families there. She was
written the following report of her
activities thus far, from her host
country.
Greetings from Trinidad and
Tobago, birthplace of the PAN, or
steel drum. The PAN, as it is af
fectionately termed, is a 45-gal Jon
oil drum, beaten and hammered to
produce a sweet sound filled with
depth and rishness
So far, my stay in Trinidad has
been one of many beautiful ex
periences for both eye and ear. I
had never heard the steeldrum
before coming here but in my first
month I have become a lover of the
PAN.
My education started on the first
night of my stay as we were
driving through the capital city of
Port-of-Spain. After trying our
first coconuts right from the tree, a
sort of ritual one must go through
when arriving in Trinidad, we
stopped and listened as we heard a
steelband practicing in one of the
roadside “panyards.” What a
sound! I knew my ear needed more
of it!
The development of the PAN is a
tribute to man’s ingenuity and is
one the newest and only refined
musical instrument of the 20th
century. It is an instrument rising
out of the burden of slavery of the
Trinidadian people. It's roots are
in the mixed African-Indian slaved
culture of Trinidad history.
The era of the development of
the steeldrum begins with the
emancipation of the black slaves in
1943 and a type of music known as
“tamboo-bamboo” which was
actually the beating of different
lengths of bamboo pieces.
Drumming continued to bottles
and cans in the 1930 s and even
tually to the 45-gallon steeldrum in
the 19405.
There are various legends as to
who was actually the first to beat a
steeldmm instead of bamboo and
bottles, but the date usually given
for the changeover is 1939.
Expermentation with the new
instrument continued and many
new bands were formed around
Port-of-Spain to make music for
the annual “Carnival” celebration
in February.
With the outbreak of World War
II in 1939, carnival was banned for
security reasons and the drummer
Farmers to receive deficiency
payments after Dec. 1
KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Secretary
of Agriculture John R. Block has
announced a payment schedule
under which eligible farmers will
receive deficiency payments on
1982 crops and advance deficiency
and diversion payments on. 1963
crops.
Block said as soon as possible
after Dec. 1, eligible wheat and
barley producers will receive all
their deficiency payments due
under the 1982-crop programs, and
eligible com, upland cotton, grain
sorghum and rice farmers will
receive 70 percent of the 1982-crop
deficiency payments due them.
The remainder of the 1982-crop
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Here, Becky secured the help of the 4-H mascot Cris Clover
to help her draw a map of Trinidad and Tobago. Apparently
Becky found lots to do in Trinidad as shown by her boating,
hiking, sightseeing, swimming, and camping Clovers.
set out of experiment on his own
with the pan. This created a huge
pent-up reservoir of musical
energy. When victory finally came
on May 6,1945, a huge music-filled
inarch was led through Port-of-
Spain with biscuit tins, pans and
even garbage cans. Through the
years, the steeldrum has been
refined enough to be able to cap
ture the best in classical music as
well as calypso.
At my home in Sangre Grande 1
listened to the sound of the PAN in
a civic center where the members
of the Sangre Grande Cordettes
had been practicing for an up
coming festival. 1 was able to meet
the talented arranger-conductor of
the band and he has become a good
friend.
1 gradually became totally
engrossed in the music and made
many a trip to the "panyard” to
hear the Cordettes practice. The
“panyard” is a unique place in
itself. The outdoor practice hall of
a steelband doubles as a basketball
court, a place to pitch marbles and
a center for sharing the news of the
town.
Most member of the band work,
m other jobs during the day and
play pan at night. Practice usually
beings at 8 p.m. and sometimes
runs late into the night. Being, an
deficiency payments will be paid in
early February to cotton and rice
producers, while the final com and
grain sorghum payments will be
made after April 1, Block said.
Producers of wheat and feed
grains may request 50 percent of
the projected 1983 deficiency
payments and 50 percent .of the
1963 diversion payments at the
time they sign up, Block said. Sign
up will be held Oct. 1, 1982 through
March 31,1983.
The deficiency payments rate
equals the difference between the
target price and the higher of the
national average loan rate or the
five-month weighted average
IFYE has enabled me to see both
sides of the live of these musicians,
their homelife and their' 'pan life."
The Sangre Grande band has 35
members, all male, ranging in age
from 15-60. None have formal
music training and very few can
read music. Yet from their drums
come the perfectly orchestrated
pieces of Rossini and Dvorak. They
also play their own Trinidad-based
calypso.
From the crowds that gather to
watch, and from the faces of the
players themselves, it’s very easy
to see how much these
Trinidadians love their music.
1 attended a festival with the
Cordettes and got an inside view.
After each pan received an intense
tuning, we loaded the drums and
were on our way. In performance
the band members’ faces, hands
and whole bodies come alive as
they, communicate to their
audience.
So far the music of the Cordettes
is just one of the. beautiful ex
periences of my stay in Trinidad.
There are, no doubt, many more
to come!
Look for another report from
Becky in a future issue of Lan
caster Farming.
market price received by fanners.
Block said advance diversion
payment for wheat will be $1.35 per
bushel times the farm yield times
five percent of the farm base.
The advance deficiency payment
will be 32.5 cents per bushel times
the farm yield times the acres
intended to be planted.
Advance payments also will be
offered to farmers when they sign
up in the 1983 feed grain, cotton
and rice programs.
Diversion payments are com
pensation for land taken out of
production in addition to any
acreage reduction requirement.
Tab*? 0
'So&rfccroujk-
See your nearest
HOLLAND
Dealer for Dependable
Equipment and Dependable
llexandria,
Clapper Farm
Equipment
Star Route
814-669-4465
AnnviUe, PA
B.H.M. Farm
Equipment, Inc,
R.D. 1
717-867-2211
Ivan J. Zook
Farm Equipment
Belleville, Pa.
717-935-2948
Carlisle. PA
Paul Shovers, Inc.
35 East Willow Street
717-243-2686
CaUwissa, PA
Abraczinskas Farm
Equipment, Inc
R.D. 1
717-356-2323“
Chambersburg, PA
Clugston
Implement. Inc,
R.D. 1
717-263-4103
Davidsburg, PA
George N. Gross, Inc,
R.D 2, Dover, PA
717-292-1673
Elizabethtown. PA
Messick Farm
Equipment, Inc.
Rt 283- Rheem's Exit
717-367-13J.9
Gel
rsburg, PA -
Yingling Implements
R. 0.9
717-359-4848
Greencastle. PA
Meyers -
Implement's Inc.
400 N. Antrim Way
P.O. Box 97
717-597-2176
Halit ax. PA
Sweigard Bros.
R.D. 3, Box 13
717-896-3414
ibun
Shartlesville
Farm Service
R.D. 1, Box 170
215-488-1025
Honev Brook. PA
Dependable Motor Co.
East Mam Street
215-273-3131
215-273-3737
Honey Grove. PA
Norman D. Clark
& Son, Inc.
Honey Grove, PA
717-734-3682
Hueheswille, PA
Farnsworth Farm
Supplies, Inc.
103 Cemetery Street
717-584-2106
Lancaster. PA
L.H. Brubaker, Inc.
350 Strasburg Pike
717-397-5179
Lebanon. PA
Evergreen
Tractor Co., Inc.
30 Evergreen Road
717-272-4641
Litrtz.PA
Roy A Brubaker
700Woodcrest Av.
717-626-7766
Loysville. PA
Paul Shovers, Inc
Loysville. PA
717-789-3117
Lynnport, PA
KermitK Kistler, Inc
Lynnport, PA
215 298-2011
lartmsbure. PA
Forshey's, Inc.
110 Forshey St
814-793-3791
Service:
Mill Hall, PA
Paul A. Dotterer
R.D. 1
717-726-3471
Nazareth, PA
Edwards Farm
Equipment
291 West
Moorestown Rd
215-759-0240
New Holland. PA
A.B.C. Grott, Inc.
110 South Railroad
717-354-4191
New Park. PA
M&R Equipment Inc.
P.O. Box 16
717,-9932511
Oley.PA
C.J. Wonsidler Bros.
R.D.2
215-987-6257
Palm. PA
Wentz Farm
Supplies, Inc.
Rt. 29
215-679-7164
Pitman. PA
Marlin W. Schreftler
Pitman. PA
717-648-1120
Pleasant Gap, PA
Brooks Ford f ractor
W. College Ave.
814-359-2751
Quarryville, PA
C.b. Wiley & Son, Inc.
101 South Lime Street
717-786-2895
Ringtown. PA
Ringtown Farm
Equipment
Ringtown, PA
717-889-3184
Silverdale. PA
I.G. Sales
Box 149
215-257-5135
Tamaqua. PA
Charles S. Snyder, Inc.
R.D. 3
717-386-5945
West Chester. PA
M.S. Yearsley & Son
114-116 East
Market Street
215-696-2990
West Grove. PA
S.G. Lewis & Son. Inc.
RD. 2, Box 66
215-869-2214
Churchyille. MD
Walter G Coale, Inc.
2849-53
Church ville Rd
-301-734-7722
Rising Sun. MD
Ag Ind.
Equipment Co. Inc.
1207 Telegraph Rd.
301-398-6132
301-658-5568
215-869-3542
Washington. NJ
Frank Kymon & Sons
201 b«9 14b4
Woodstown. NJ
Owen Supply Co.
Broad Street &
East Avenue
609-769-0308