Only “successful” and ascending superlatives could serve to properly
describe the St. Maarten Day Fair Princess Juliana International
Airport hosted on Tuesday November 11, 2008. From when the music
started, stores set up their booths and the playground for children
went up, people started coming in.
Hosted simultaneously with the PJIAE’s celebrations of the second
anniversary of its terminal building, the event was a nice outing
for residents and visitors who on the island’s national holiday were
looking for something different. The event was also an opportunity
for the airport’s retail section to show off. While Tanny and The
Boys treated everyone to their folklore, stores offered their
product for sale under the tent that was set up in front of the
building; some even sold merchandise at discount rates. And at the
food & beverage booths, fair attendees could sample why the airport
is worth a try for breakfast, lunch or dinner, even when one isn’t
traveling. But it seemed like the kids had the most fun: the two
huge bounces that they could enter free of charge were constantly
packed. Cheer accompanied the proceedings when kids could dip their
hands into a huge “grab bag” to search for goodies. They formed
lines in front of the ladies that were doing face painting and when
a parade started of popular cartoon characters like Shrek, Winnie
the Pooh and Dora the Explorer, the excitement was almost tangible.
PJIAE extended gratitude to its concessionaires, the musicians,
participants and all who attended and contributed in making the
event a success. And it wasn’t just PJIAE that was satisfied with
how it went. Kim van Loo of Shipwreck shops was one of the
concessionaires who congratulated the PJIAE Marketing and customer
Service Department with “a fantastic job. I think it was a great
success,” she said.
