Commissioner of Culture Hyacinth Richardson and the St. Maarten’s Day 2009 Committee want to involve the community of St. Maarten in selecting the theme of this year’s St. Maarten’s Day celebration, which is its Golden Anniversary—50 years.
"St. Maarten’s Day is probably the most important day on the calendar in terms of celebrating our heritage; it is a day marked by togetherness. As a gesture of such, I would like the public to submit their theme to the St. Maarten’s Day Committee," Commissioner Richardson said.
The submission process will last for a period of one week, beginning Monday, September 7th and ending Friday, September 14th. The theme has to be accompanied by an explanation as to why they chose the theme for St. Maarten’s Day.
After the last day, out of the many suggested themes that were submitted, the committee will select one theme as the official theme for St. Maarten’s Day 2009.
That person will be recognized as the competition winner and will be awarded a gift and handed a token of appreciation from the committee and the commissioner.
Persons entering the St. Maarten’s Day Theme Competition should submit their suggested theme and explanation to sxmday2009@gmail.com, along with their full name and contact information.
"This is the one day of the year when our entire community comes together in unity to reflect and celebrate St. Maarten, its culture and the blessings our island has given us. When coming up with a theme we are hoping that people will really think about what St. Maarten means to them," chairlady Fabiana Arnell said.