Now, here are the news articles for this edition:

- Miss Lobster Fest Coming Up...
The entire island is excited about the upcoming Lobster Fest weekend. Hotel rooms are being booked up right, left and center, while friends and family that we didn t even know we had keep calling in the hope that we will give them some place to stay. Yes, this weekend will be exciting, no doubt! But the most talked-about part of the entire weekend is the Miss Lobster Fest pageant that will be held on Friday night, June 30th. According to Mr. Jerry Badillo, Chairman of the Islander s Veterans Football Team, and one of the partners hosting the Fest this weekend, prizes for the pageant will be in excess of $2,000. With such a huge prize pot, there is no doubt we have the cream of the crop vying for the title. And this is indeed the case!

It appears, the judges will certainly be faced with a most difficult decision. All the girls vying for the title of Miss Lobster Fest: Miss Margarita Badillo, Miss Vanessa Smith, Miss Stacy Badillo and Miss Samaria Zaldivar, are all very beautiful, very talented and very smart.

Before I continue, let s share a little about the girls. All four contestants come from Caye Caulker families whose ancestors can be traced back to Caye Caulker more than 150 years ago. These are all full-fledged island girls.

Miss Margarita Badillo, currently a teller at the Atlantic Bank here on Caye Caulker, is the daughter of Mr. Nick Badillo and Mrs. Teresita Canto. Mrs. Teresita used to be a schoolteacher here on Caye Caulker for many years and may even have taught several of us. Mr. Nick Badillo s family, also of Caye Caulker, can also be traced back many generations.

Maggie, as she is affectionately known, is twenty years old. She attended Belmopan Comprehensive High School and graduated with a Business Diploma. She also attended Stann Creek Ecumenical College Sixth Form and graduated with a degree in general studies. Previously she work as the receptionist at the Tropical Paradise Hotel.

Miss Vanessa Smith is the daughter of Mr. Earl Smith and Mrs. Neima Rosado. Mr. Earl Smith, when he met Mrs. Neima more than ten years ago, was a newcomer to the island. Neima s family is one of several generations of Rosados to live on the island.

Vanessa is seventeen years old. She attended St. Catherine s Academy. She used to work at the Water Taxi office but now works with her father.

Miss Stacy Badillo is the daughter of Carmen Allen and Thomas Badillo. Both the Allens and Badillos have several generations that have lived on this island.

Stacy is fifteen years old. She currently attends San Pedro High School and will be attending Third Form when school re-opens. She is studying Commercial and hopes to be a beautician once she finishes school.

Samaria Zaldivar is the daughter of Mercedes Canto and Juni (Isacc) Zaldivar, who, like the other families, have a long history on Caye Caulker.

Samaria is seventeen years old. She graduated from Desert Mountain High School in Scottsdale, Arizona in the U.S.A. She plans to return to the U.S. to study Fashion Designing in Los Angeles. She is currently on vacation from school on her beloved Caye Caulker.

The pageant will start at 7:00 p.m. It will be held at the Central Park. The entrance fee for adults is $5.00 and $2.00 for children.

The Master of Ceremonies for the pageant will be Mr. Angel Nunez from San Pedro.

See you all there!!
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- Street Names Proposal
Do you think it is about time some of our streets had real names? I was filling out an application form the other day and when it asked for my street address, I realized how tired I was of writing "front" "middle" or "back" street. So, I got some folks together and we got to thinking that it might be time to name the streets of Caye Caulker. Well, this newspaper in conjunction with Fermin Marin, Village Council Chairman, have come up with an idea!

What if we started at the the north end of the island and named the streets in an east/west direction after, for example, the names of fish; and the streets in an north/south direction by birds or shells? We also think it would be a good idea to approach this in a logical way by having the names in alphabetical order. We think it is a great idea and have come up with the following:-

East: Angelfish, Barracuda, Cobia, Dolphin, Eel, Flying Fish, Grouper, Hammerhead, Indigo Hamlet, Jack, King, Lobster, Manta Ray, Needlefish, Octopus, Parrot Fish, Queen Angel Fish, Ray, Snapper, Tiger Shark, Urchin, V, Wahoo, X, Y, Z. (Hopefully we run out of streets by the time we get to X).

(We don t have enough north/south streets so we thought these might be nice ones). Front = Pelican, Middle = Cormorant, Back = Frigate, Back Back = Hummingbird, Back Back Back = Seagull.

Write to the editor with your views (good and bad!) and we shall pass them onto the Village Council.
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- Summer Reading Boosters for Kids
Beginning on Monday, July 10, parents can send their Standard 1 - 4 children to a summer reading booster program at the Community Center. This is specially designed for kids who need to catch up on their reading skills and will build on what they re learning at school.

George Ferrar will be using a "Phonics Fun" learning system from Touchphonics. This system uses color-coded vowels, consonants, consonant blends, prefixes and suffixes to which kids combine to make bigger and bigger words and longer and longer sentences. Kids love learning this way and can make great advances in one summer. Parents can register their kids for 12 sessions in July at the Community Center on Monday, July 10 at 1:30 - 2:30 p.m., for BZ $15 deposit per child. You can get up to a $12 refund if your child gets to each session on time! Sessions will be held Monday to Thursday afternoons, July 10 - 27th at the Community Center at: 2:30 - 3:00 for Standard I; 3:15 - 3:45 for Standard 2; 4:00 - 4:30 for Standards 3 and 4.

Another registration will be held for sessions in August. Parents, don t miss this opportunity! Come and register your kids at the Community Center on Monday, July 10 at 1:30 - 2:30 p.m., and we ll start the learning session on the same day!
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- Caye Caulker Dance Company???
At a meeting held at the Caye Caulker R. C.School today, the Honorable Patty Arceo invited Caye Caullker to become the latest and newest chapter of the Belize Dance Company.

Accompanied by Rosita Baltazar, senior member of the Belize Dance Company, and Mariela Rodriguez, dance teacher in the Belize Dance Company, a group of enthusiastic children welcomed the idea that they would be given professional dance instruction.

The Hon. Patty Arceo welcomed everyone present. She stated that many people had grown to like the San Pedro Dance Company and their performances, and "why couldn t Caye Caulker do the same with so many talented children around?" It was in this spirit that she was inviting everyone (yes, she even invited the little boys to join the group) to join this historic group and become members of the prestigious Belize Dance Company.

Ms. Rosita Baltazar explained that she is a senior dancer with the Belize Dance Company, but that she is also a full time dance teacher for children from ages 5 - 14 years of age at St. Mary s Hall in Belize City. On Fridays and Saturdays she works with the dance company on San Pedro.

Ms. Mariela Rodriguez is Cuban born and is also on contract with the dance company. Ms. Rodriguez will be the one teaching the dance classes here on Caye Caulker.

Classes will begin next week Friday, July 7th. Classes will cost $5 per child per session. For now, there will be one class weekly during the summer months. Depending on how many children are registered, the schedule might be increased.

Children will need leotards and tights. Eventually, said the Hon. Arceo, it might be possible to bring dance into the school curriculum.

Classes for five to seven year olds will be held from 2:00 - 3:00 p.m.; for eight to ten year olds from 3:00 - 4:00 p.m.; and for ten and older 4:00 - 5:00 p.m.

Ms. Baltazar said that there was a need to have a local contact person to liase with. Mrs. Ilna Auxillou and Ms. Mineli Young were chosen to be the local contact persons for the dance group. Anyone who is interested or would like more information can contact either of those two.
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- VENDOR PROFILE: Northern Fishermen
The following is an article published in the latest issue of the Communicator, a monthly newsletter for Restaurant Support for Darden Restaurants.

As fishing restrictions and regulations place more control over our oceans and waterways, Darden s relationship with its seafood vendors becomes more and more important.

Though all of our restaurants don t specialize in seafood, most of them feature fish and shellfish products on the their menus. Because of our reliance on seafood, we must have reilable seafood sources or our business could suffer. Thanks to our partnership with seafood vendors like the Northern Fishermen s Co-op, who are key suppliers of rock lobsters, our product remains healthy, affordable and appealing to our guests.

Our relationship with the Belize-based Northern Fishermen s Co-op started in 1977 when CEO Joe Lee met with the Belize Fisheries Administrator at a Fisheries Council meeting. Since then, the relationship has continued to grow and flourish. In fact, we buy virtually 100% of Northern s lobster tails, 175,000 to 300,000 pounds a year, and in 1999 we purchased more than $5 million of their catch.

While other lobstering companies have come and gone, the Northern Fishermen have survived and prospered for more than 20 years. They ve stood strong against adversaries like over-restrictive fishing regulations and natural disasters, including hurricane Mitch, which disrupted traps and decreased their catch in 1998.

According to Bob Usher, the co-op s manager, the reason their business has stayed successful so long is its conservation practices and strong relationship with Darden.

The seven board members and more than 600 fishermen, who make up the organization, pride themselves on self-regulation. They are descendants of the original founders and have adopted and live by Darden s "for generations to come" theme. Years ago, the fishermen,banded together to protect their seafood resources and are proud of their accomplishments and the quality and quantity of their harvest.

"We don t take lobsters weighing less than four ounces," says Bob "and always return egg-bearing females back to the sea." And in compliance with Belize s important law, they shut down their operations every year during the lobsters reproduction cycle and adhere to lawful quotas.

The Northern Fishermen also hope to preserve their lobster resource by using artificial habitats called "casitas" or "shades", which were developed in Cuba. Shades are traps set in water 5 to 15 ft. deep that the lobsters use for shade and protection. Bob and his group believe the wood and steel structures protect the lobsters from predators and are convenient for harvesting them, too.

Executive Vice President of RL Operations Edna Morris says RL s relationship with Northern is a "good story." "Not only do they care about the sustainability of their product and the environment," she says, "they have a genuine love of life and are just good people."

"As our need for more and better seafood increases, it s comforting to know we have strong, lasting relationships with well-managed and responsible companies like the Northern Fishermen Co-op, who will help us keep our guests happy for many years to come."
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