A sound system blared, men built huts of leaves and branches, vendors sold everything from bunches of coconuts to picture frames, and children rode a ‘merry-go-round’ – all at the centre of Jamaica on Ash Wednesday.

The exact centre of Jamaica, as deemed by the British and endorsed by the Northern Clarendon Rio Minho Local Forest Management, is located in the Bull Head Mountains in Clarendon, in what is a forest reserve. It is clear that some pine had been recently reaped, giving stage to various varieties of fern and other shrubbery, as well as a magnificent view of sections of St Catherine, St Ann, Clarendon and Manchester.

On Wednesday, many Jamaicans trekked along a marl road that seemed to go up and up and up to the mountains, which even though inherently quiet, were buzzing with activity.

This mass journey uphill is something Rupert Binger has witnessed every Ash Wednesday for more than 25 years.

Throughout the day and night, people just eat, drink and have a good time. Binger, chairman of the Northern Clarendon Rio Minho Local Forest Management, said on public holidays people from in and around Clarendon journey to the mountains, but on Ash Wednesdays, between 25,000 and 30,000 come from all over Jamaica.

The obelisk-type concrete monument that marks the centre of the island sits like a pebble atop a huge cushion, but its significance is not lost, as several persons could point to the monument.

Binger is not sure when the monument was erected. He said, however, that since 1897 when a bon fire in the mountains marked the diamond jubilee of Britain’s reigning monarch, Queen Victoria, it has been a historic spot.

Because of the significance of the sprawling mountains and their natural beauty, Binger said there are plans to transform them into a tourist attraction.

“The Clarendon Parish Development Committee has become a part of the project now and the Forestry Department has accepted our project,” Binger said. He added that other organisations such as the Tourism Product Development Company and the Environmental Foundation of Jamaica (EFJ), have also come on board.

Vice president of the Clarendon Parish Development Committee, Valenton Wint, shares Binger’s dream of transforming the mountains. He said the Committee has petitioned the Ministry of Local Government for funding in that regard.

He believes the development of the mountains is also community development.

“The area is so nice, it’s a natural [forest] reserve,” Wint said. “We really want an area for tourists to come. We don’t want it to remain one of Jamaica’s beauties that is isolated.”

Wint is confident, however, that the area speaks for itself and the Parish Development Committee along with Binger’s organisation should not have a hard time getting investors interested.

Co-ordinator for environmental programmes at the EFJ, Derrick Gayle, said the EFJ has aided in, among other things, a tree planting programme in the adjacent community of Reckford. This has been done in conjunction with farmers in the area and the local forestry management group. Gayle said on the lower levels, the EFJ encourages agro-forestry, such as yams or ackees, and forest trees such as mahogany, pine or cedar on the higher levels.

“It’s not just bush,” Gayle said of the area. “You can interact with it and it’s good that the community is becoming more aware.” He said rehabilitating the area with trees would help to raise the water table in the area, which feeds the Rio Minho.

While not providing much details of what the development of the mountains would entail, Wint said a lookout point would be created around the monument and wooden cabins would be erected.

Binger said two waterfalls have been discovered on the property and his organisation is working to utilise them as recreational spots as soon as possible.

“We are proceeding, but in a simple fashion,” Binger said.

The Merry-go-round man and other attractions

Like Binger and the Northern Clarendon body, Michael Harris is dreaming of a park – an amusement park.

But right now, he just has one merry-go-round assembled largely from car parts.

“I jus’ dream dat I would have a park with a lot of ‘overmoon’ and whole heap o’ rides,” Harris said, twisting his body to demonstrate the directions in which the rides in his park could take one. He has been going to the Ash Wednesday celebrations for about six years with his merry-go-round.

“I charge $30 per ride, but like when it early, the children come with five, 10 dollars, I give dem same way, but when tings pick up now, I really hold out for the $30,” Harris said, before returning to spin a part from the back end of a car, which powers the ride.

Behind the merry-go-round man was the ‘crown and anchor’ man, and others with various dice and card games, who encouraged passersby to try their luck. A little way from them, people sat on crocus bags all day playing Bingo, using stones as markers.

Then there were the men who built huts, where people could go and ‘cool out’, for a fee of course.

When the Sunday Observer was driving downhill away from the mountains, a truck with a sound system was just going up, with the driver promising that the party would start later. Thursday morning, Binger reported that indeed people ate, drank and partied until daylight.