Harvard Hosts Caribbean Fair

More than 100 undergraduates danced to exotic-sounding music of steel and salsa bands, munched on spicy Caribbean foods, and cheered limbo contest entrants Saturday afternoon at the annual Caribbean Club Party in Memorial Hall.

The five-hour event, a $2000 affair sponsored in part by the Undergraduate Council, also featured a Reggae band, a dance performance, and a poetry reading.

The limbo contest winner, Audrey C. Mitchell '87, shimmied under a pole about two and a half feet above the ground, besting 20 other entrants.

Mitchell, who placed third in the Caribbean Party limbo contest last spring, said she learned proper techniques by watching last year's winner.

"I saw the key was in the balance, and I thought, let me develop those limbo muscles," Mitchell said.

"We expected a bigger turnout, but we weren't able to announce that we had moved. It was a publicity problem," said Caribbean Club member Clyvan L. Belle '88, who helped organize the party.

The party was originally slated for the Radcliffe Quadrangle, but was moved into Memorial Hall because of poor weather.

A Taste of the Life

"This gives the people who can't make it to the Caribbean a taste of the life style," said Brian J. Stevens '88, who chah-chahed on his crutches at the gala.

Club members maintained a large supply of soda to give to party members after they sampled the spicy chicken and beef dishes. A native Caribbean, however, said that the food was mild by native standards. "American food is so incredibly bland," said Richard H. Drayton '86, an Adams House resident who lives in Barbados.