Baha Men founding member to be honored at inaugural Goombay festival in Miramar
An important name in Bahamian entertainment history is coming to Miramar for Bahamas Goombay Broward.
The county’s inaugural Goombay celebration will feature a proclamation honoring Isaiah Taylor, founding member of the Grammy Award-winning Baha Men.
Bahamas Goombay Broward is scheduled for 2 to 9 p.m. on Saturday, July 18, at City Hall plaza.
The Baha Men are best known for their hit song “Who Let the Dogs Out,” which won a Grammy in 2001 for Best Dance Recording.
The group, which went on to record several songs featured in 2000s TV and movies, is a Bahamian Junkanoo band whose first album was titled “Junkanoo.”
Taylor is the band’s bassist and leader.
“I couldn’t be any happier,” Miramar Commissioner Avril Cherasard said at a June 30 media event to promote Bahamas Goombay Broward.
Cherasard, a Bahamain who will host Bahamas Goombay Broward, said her goal is to make sure “that people get their flowers while they are still alive.”
“It took a lot of conversation, but it’s a pleasure to be able to say we brought Bahamas to our city.”
Since announcing the inaugural Goombay in Broward, Cherasard said city organizers have received a lot of support.
“Bahamians everywhere stepped up and said, ‘We want you to do this, and we want you to do it well,’ and offered so much of their kindness,” she said.
The night will also feature performances by other Bahamian artists, including Stileet, Avvy, Sweet Emily, Johny Cake and Julien Believe.
“As an artist performing for many years at Goombays in Nassau, across the Bahamas and here in the Florida area, what I’ll say is here in Miramar, we’re actually creating a bridge for those who are further north who’ve always wanted to experience the Bahamas,” Believe said.
The event will feature Junkanoo parades, a battle of the conch fritters and a cultural village.
Attendees can join the Junkanoo rush with a $100 VIP all-access pass that includes a headpiece, a whistle and a towel.
