Paul H. Williams, Gleaner Writer

Patrons streamed in by the hundreds at Jamalco Sports Club, in Hayes, Clarendon, yesterday to attend the fourth annual staging of the Mountain Dew Stunt Festival.

However, they were not prepared for the unpleasant awakening that greeted them. The rides that were billed as free were everything but.

At the entrance to the complex, and along the path leading to the bus in which cashiers were placed to collect money, there were many vendors and personnel dressed in Mountain Dew T-shirts telling prospective patrons to buy Mountain Dew and submit the labels in order to enjoy free rides. Each 591 ml-bottle of Mountain Dew cost $60.

At the entrance to the football field where the main events were taking place, there was an admission fee of $500 per adult and $200 per child.

Final shock

At the enclosure for each ride, patrons were given the final shock when they were told that each ride cost $100 per person, with or without the Mountain Dew labels. "Only the bounce-abouts are free," one young man told me. The operators of the rides could not explain what was turning out to be a clear case of deception.

No one was willing to address the concerns of fuming patrons, some of whom had as many as five children in their group.

When I went back to the entrance to find someone in charge to discuss the issue, I was referred to "the man wid the phone", who in turn referred me to another man wearing a T-shirt with 'STAFF' on the back. He refused to address the matter. His terse response was, "Yuh want back yuh money?" I promptly said, "Yes!"

I was brought to the cashiers' bus, where I was refunded the $700 which I had paid for me and my son. Having got wind of what was happening, some persons who were in the queues retreated, obviously stunned by the developments.

As I made my angry exit about 12: 45 p.m., vendors and the T-shirt-clad personnel were still telling prospectivepatrons to buy Mountain Dew to get free rides. What free rides? A stunt festival indeed.