Relations between the parishes of Trelawny and St James seem to be at an all-time high with the latter officially adopting the former as its sister parish, according to a recent press release from the council declaring its intention to present Usain Bolt, the world's fastest man with the keys to the city.

This is welcome, of course, given the rather tempestuous relationship that the parishes have shared in the past. Indeed, only recently, in May, president of the Trelawny Chamber of Commerce, Dennis Seivwright, blasted president of the Montego Bay Chamber, Pauline Reid, who said her chamber was opposed to the proposed development of the Falmouth Harbour, as it meant sacrificing plans for the development of its own port. This followed another tiff last year when both parishes planned simultaneous concerts for the opening of the Cricket World Cup. St James ultimately stepped down and allowed Trelawny, which badly needed the exposure and the economic injection, to go ahead.

There can be no confusion about where the spotlight will be in the next few weeks, however, when our athletes who bagged a record total of 11 medals - 6 gold, 3 silver and 2 bronze - come home as the world's fastest man Usain Bolt; double Olympic 200-metre gold medallist Veronica Campbell-Brown; Michael Frater, 100-metre finalist and part of the record-breaking 4x100 relay team and Rosemarie Whyte, part of the bronze medal-winning 4x400 team are all natives of this rural parish.

Yes, this small, yam-producing parish, often forgotten in the midst of the tourist meccas of Ocho Rios to the north and Montego Bay to the west will now be the centre of the celebrations in this end of the island.

Already, Trelawny officials have signed off on celebration plans which include a motorcade/tour through the communities of the four Olympians with stops at their respective schools, a grand gala dinner and a massive concert at the Trelawny Multi-Purpose Stadium. The parish is also planning a special function on Heroes Day to honour the athletes' parents. According to Mayor Collin Gager, who also disclosed that a well-known Montego Bay-based artist has made a special tribute to the young hero, Bolt, in song, their plans are of course contingent on the national plans, but there is no doubting that they will be allowed to shine. After all, they surely deserve it.

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