Sunday’s downpour did not stop Marcia Griffiths and Bob Andy from shining at Glenmuir High School’s fifth annual Fundraising Brunch on the east lawns of Devon House in St Andrew.

“Glenmuir, it’s so nice to be here sharing these special moments with you,” said Griffiths on stage.

The iconic duo performed their 1970 hit Young, Gifted and Black which attracted loud cheers from the audience.

Griffiths also had the audience grooving to hits like Electric Boogie, I Shall Sing, All My Life, Dreamland, Steppin’ Out a Babylon, and Live On with her son, Yohannes Thompson, substituting Beres Hammond’s part.

President of the Glenmuir High Past Students’ Association Jamaica Chapter, Saundra Bailey, said the event is important because it promotes togetherness.

“It is important because it is an event that is planned by the Glenmuir High School Past Students’ Association; the local chapter to just bring alumni everywhere into one space, to fellowship, to have fun with classmates we have not seen for a while. It also provides us with an opportunity to fund-raise for the benefit of the school. This is our fifth staging and we believe that it is significant for the family, and therefore it is important for us to have something like this each year,” she told the Jamaica Observer.

The Clarendon-based school continues to celebrate its 60th anniversary, being founded in 1958 by Reverend Bishop Percival Gibson. Proceeds from this year’s brunch will go towards infrastructural development of the institution.

Bailey said the brunch has amassed more support over the years.

“It has been going in numbers, it has been growing in sponsorship, it has been growing because we’re now having so many of our past students over the world who are now planning to be here on the second Sunday in March for an event like this,” she explained.

A cheque for $2,000,000 was presented to the school from the past student association.

The event was nothing short of continuous entertainment as reggae violinist Mark Stephens and saxophonist Daniel Richards complemented the programme.

Stephens said the demand for violinists has been increasing.

“I’ve been in the business for 36 years; that’s basically all my life and when I just started out many people in Jamaica didn’t even know what a violin was, but it has started to get more popular,” he told the Observer.

The association looks to attract a younger crowd next year.

“The last five years we’ve been having brunch where we sit down, you know fine dining and entertainment and so on, and I believe that next year we will be focusing on something which will attract the younger past students those in the 90s and in the 2000s,” she said.

Alumni including 2007 Rising Star contestant Jodian Pantry took to the stage, followed by Ranice Barrett, Jhenelle Lewis and reggae artiste dBurnz wrapped up the afternoon’s soiree.