Sunday’s
Children’s Parade 2001 was longer than usual, including seventeen different group and
fifteen musical bands. The Quota Club of Aruba used the opportunity to champion hearing
and hearing loss selling earplugs for a small contribution along the parade routes. 
At the head of the spectacle, San
Nicolas Uni, a much talked about group of oil town kids partly sponsored by ATV, channel
15. Their silver-white costumes had the NBC, proud as a peacock, emblem emblazoned on
chests and headpieces. Their queen Chanelle Fortin, snatched last weekend’s
Children’s Queen title. An outspoken and charismatic child she asked musician
Claudius Philips, the reigning King of Calypso and Road March, to play for her group
during the 
Children’s
Parade. Her group had no means of hiring a live band for the occasion, she explained to
the king during a live televised show. Claudius agreed, and while he usually charges
double-digit sums for his services, he played that parade for nothing. As he supplied the
music, and the kids are naturally excellent dancers, it was a match made in heaven.
Kids of Fame presented jacks in the
box and circus clowns. Liesjen their adorable queen rode a colorful float and though one
of the road pieces broke mid-parade, it didn’t dampen Jumpin’ Tin Tini &
Jokerito’s mood. 
EQO
Excitante escorted the floor members dressed as Pierrot Den Carnival, with pointed hats
and shoes. There was some criticism the following day as Drive Motor & Suzuki towed a
new Chrysler for promotional purposes behind the kids’ group. Yet as parades are
expensive to launch, that was obviously one way of thanking the dealership for their
support.
Cos Di Mucha,
Kids’ Stuff, only recruited about fifty members. Their theme, Lynette and Mickey
Around the World, featured their little queen tripping with the 
Mouse in far-away countries, via
Goofy’s Plane, to as far as New York, Russia, Mexico and France. Musical Times played
for the rodents and some of the tourists around us got a kick seeing the Chrysler building
and the Statue of Liberty on parade in Aruba. Lynette’s dress, with a full quilted
tri-colored skirt was a wonder of couture by Colombian gown maker Jaime Arranjo.
Calabas, a sleepy
island neighborhood presented a Fantasy of Birds which featured the kids with the
island’s typical fauna, Prickichi, parrots in green, Troupial, orioles in flaming
orange and Chibi-Chibi, bananaquits in yellow and black. Robert & Su Solo Banda show
led the floor members, an irresistible troupe of Fire Ants. Refreshments were served out
of a birdhouse, nice touch.
A number of
kindergartens participating in the parade were successful in making it very economical for
their students. Stima Nos Bestia, Love our Animals, offered a group of spotted Dalmatians
with floppy ears attached to their hats, Original Band in the lead. Homenaje Na e
Pintornan di Aruba, equipped kids with paintbrushes and palates in homage to Aruba’s
artists, listed on a small board towed on a trailer. The names of Aruba’s painters
were taught in the classroom then taken out to the parade.
One of the
season’s cheekiest songs involving Bacardi rum, Lemon ,Coca Cola & Ice -
admittedly you have to be creative to turn a Cuba Libre into an x-rated song - was sung starring Chocolate Milk and water, for
the younger demographics. Clever, very clever.
Stima Nos Cultura,
Love our Culture, towed the lighthouse, a Divi tree, palm trees and cactus as part of the
cultural heritage of the island. The Creators, at heart a reggae band, was backed up by
versatile talents, among them troubadour Etty Toppenberg and TV anchor/percussionist
Giovanni Muller.
Nos Fantasia,
Herencia di Nos Indianan treated the island’s Indian roots. The group, from Noord,
presented Indian domestic life around the Quadirikiri cave and rolled an oversize Urn as a
road piece to the music of Zodiac.
Nos Amigo di Lama, Our Ocean Friends,
presented a whale, king Neptune - with a floor mop for hair, a baby cradled in an Oyster
shell, Sailfish and Dolphins. This group proudly presented the only steel band in the
parade, which is always enthusiastically received.
A commercial effort
sponsored by Jogos del Valle, delivered a gorgeous colorful float of tropical fruit
reportedly used in the production of the juice, targeting pre-schoolers as consumers.
Zukus, played and the kids in Hawaiian skirts danced the Road March, Frega Riba Dje, with
great expertise.
Another Fantasia di
Lama, what else, we are surrounded by water, depicted a motorized octopus, bobbing up and
down, mermaids, seahorses and dolphins. Aruba’s naughtiest band BMW had their lead
singers in diapers, pacifiers and bottles dangling from their necks. No wonder, they are
the ones who penned Cry Baby, one of the hits of the season.
Jolly Kids picked
Spain as their theme, Espana Ole, scribbled on their oversize fans. Climaxx played for the
group though they struggled with technical challenges when some of their electric fuses
burnt. Was the music too hot?
Dream Team from Santa Cruz, a
Carnival strong hold always borrows eclectically from the children’s world to create
spectacular artistic pieces for the parade. This year they turned out a Chinese Pagoda, a
Termite Nest, and a road piece made of Lego blocks. Dushi band with the legendary Cachete,
a comedian/singer now living in Holland, kept the young ones going all the way.
Nos Futuro, Our
Future, was a large and unusual group. Volunteers from San Nicolas fund raised,
orchestrated bingos and washed many cars to be able to involve the youngsters. NBO, a real
crown pleaser played for the all-white party, which also included a potty on wheels.
Closing the parade,
Hofi Prickichi, with a line up of butterflies, Fantasia di Barbulet. Qua-Si, a veteran of
many parades with singers Tattoo & Eugene, got viewers involved again as the Last Lap
band was coming. Dream, paid for by SAC, Aruba’s Carnival committee, allowed passive
partygoers to jump in and participate. There was an ocean of people dancing in the streets
with the cleaning crews on their heels.
CLICK
HERE for the complete Children's Parade pictorial!
