It was a certainly a momentous and historic occasion in the City of Miramar last month courtesy of the City’s Vice Mayor, Alexandra P. Davis, who hosted a fun-filled weekend that featured Usain Bolt, Jamaica’s Iconic Sprinter and ‘Fastest Man Alive’ and his much-anticipated statue unveiling at Miramar’s Ansin Park Sports Complex.  The night before was a very special one in that there was the Usain Bolt Fundraising Banquet at the City’s Cultural Center that benefitted the Usain Bolt Foundation & Do The Right Thing of Miramar. There was quite a number of attendees on such a special night that included City officials from not only Miramar, but also Lauderhill, Tamarac and Broward County as well as Jamaican government officials: Hon. Olivia ‘Babsy’ Grange, CD, MP, Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment & Sport and Oliver Mair, Jamaica Consul General to the Southern USA; Mayor Wayne Messam (Miramar); Vice Mayor Yvette Colbourne (Miramar); Commissioner Winston F. Barnes (Miramar), Commissioner Maxwell B Chambers (Miramar);  Vice Mayor, Marlon Bolton (Tamarac); Commissioner Denise Grant (Lauderhill); Commissioner Hazelle Rogers (Broward County); former Global Diaspora Council Member Dr Allan Cunningham; and Eddy Edwards, CEO of Jamaican Jerk Festival USA, Inc.

Usain Bolt Widely Considered Greatest World Track and Field Sprinter of All Time

Born August 21, 1986 in Sherwood Content, a small town in Trelawny, Jamaica, Usain St. Leo Bolt (who retired after the 2017 World Championships in London) is the world record holder in the 100 meters, 200 meters and 4×100 relay.  What’s more he is an eight-time Olympic gold medalist and an eleven-time world champion.   Aside from his amazing and legendary prowess as a track and field sprinter, Mr. Bolt gained worldwide fame for his signature ‘lightning bolt’ pose—which he almost always did after winning a race.

Red Carpet Entrance & Cocktail Hour The evening’s happenings got off to a fine start in the Miramar Cultural Center Botanical Gardens with a glamorous red-carpet entrance that snaked its way inside where a variety of cocktails and hors d’oeuvres were being served while attendees mingled and chatted to the smooth sounds of the live saxophonist.

Usain Bolt Video Presentation Highlighting His Remarkable Accomplishments & Opening Remarks The cocktail hour was followed by video presentation and opening remarks given by Mr. Donovan Campbell—Sports Anchor for WSVN 7, which is a television station in Miami, Florida.  The video presentation was certainly a very inspiring one in that it chronicled the life and times of Usain Bolt on and off the track.

Greetings from Miramar, Lauderhill, and Jamaica City officials from Miramar, Lauderhill, and Jamaica took center stage give their welcoming remarks, greetings, and presentations to the packed Miramar Banquet Hall:  Miramar Mayor Wayne M. Messam and Vice Mayor Alexandra P. Davis, and Commissioners, Winston F. Barnes, Maxwell B. Chambers, and Yvette Colbourne.  In turn, Broward County Commissioner, Hazelle Rogers, and City of Lauderhill Commissioner, Denise Grant, delivered their messages and presentations.

Greetings from Jamaica were given by Hon. Olivia ‘Babsy’ Grange, CD, MP, Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment & Sport who was accompanied on stage by Jamaica Consul General to the Southern USA—Oliver Mair.

Charity Spotlight and Conversation with ‘The Man Himself’—Usain Bolt Chief Delrish Moss, City of Miramar Police Chief (Do The Right Thing of Foundation of Miramar) and Mr. Nugent Walker (Usain Bolt Manager and Board Member of The Usain Bolt Foundation) gave impassioned presentations spotlighting the admirable missions and community-oriented achievements of these two great charity driven organizations.

It was then time for Usain Bolt and Sculptor, Basil Watson, who took to the stage to discuss the sprinter’s statue from start to finish.  Indeed, it was a very special moment when a miniature version of the statue was unveiled and Bolt took a gander.

Comedy, Live Performance from Nadine Sutherland, and Richie D Jugglin’ Capped Off a Spectacular Night Comedian Chris ‘Johnny’ Daley had everyone in stitches with his hilarious jokes and mannerisms.  Veteran Songstress, Nadine Sutherland, took everyone down memory lane with her classic hit tunes that included ‘Action’—which was a collaborative effort alongside dancehall deejay Terror Fabulous—as well as ‘Anything for You’.  As many may remember, ‘Anything for You’ underwent the iconic remix with Canadian rapper, Snow, that also featured the likes of Jamaican dancehall titans, Beenie Man, Buju Banton, Terror Fabulous, Louie Culture, and Kulture Knox.

Fittingly, Usain Bolt’s banquet night concluded with him being awarded the Key to the City of Miramar followed by a photo op segment with the track star for VIP attendees.  It goes without saying that it was an epic night in Miramar on the eve of Usain Bolt’s statue unveiling.  The statue is the first such monument in America in honor of the iconic sprinter.  Nuff praises to Miramar Vice Mayor, Alexandra P. Davis, for hosting such a memorable event and kudos to all city officials, staff members, sponsors and all were involved to make the July 14, 2013 weekend’s events possible.

Photos by Nick Ford