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The White Castle Fish Shop swung open its doors at its new location on Hadfield and John streets two Fridays ago with a rousing opening party.
For the grand opening party White Castle threw a live promotion for persons coming out to support the establishment. Owner of White Castle Jermaine Langevine giving some background on the popular hangout spot said it started out six years ago on Public Road, Kitty.
The establishment then moved to Albert Street before acquiring the present location at Hadfield Street.
The owner said he chose that location because it offered him an avenue, lots more space for parking and it was a good area. He said security personnel would be on hand at all times to ensure the safety of patrons and their transportation.
As the sun set on the opening day the numbers at the new location began to build, spilling out onto the roadway surrounding the shop. Somewhere around 9.30 pm Natural Black Guyana's expatriate reggae star put in an appearance with his entourage.
Later, around 9.45 pm using the first floor balcony of the building as a stage, Brutal Traxx recording artiste Joey put in an appearance and got the already partially inebriated crowd going with his clever rhymes based on local scenarios and plays on popular dancehall tracks.
He was followed closely by I-Son who kept the vibe flowing. However, somewhere during his set the police put in an appearance at the venue, which by that time had turned into a full-fledged mob with hundreds of people bobbing to the popular sounds.
The security forces, possibly nervous about something breaking out, shut down the party as the crowd had grown too large for control and was blocking the roadway with no intention of moving. Natural Black came out on the balcony at one point and urged the crowd to behave saying that Guyanese are a rebellious people. The folks there even if they wanted to move could not without losing their vantage point and the party just sort of fizzled out after that as several persons took the opportunity to leave following an extended lull in the music.