The usually quiet Grand Bahama community of McClean’s Town buzzed with activity on National Heroes Day, as scores of residents made the commute to the quaint East Grand Bahama settlement for the annual Conch Cracking festival.

As a lead sponsor of the 45th annual event, the Bahamas Telecommunications Company, was pleased to come on board as a supporter of this time honoured tradition.

Originating in 1972, the annual festival continues to attract locals and tourists from all over the world.

The day’s events kicked off around noon with the classic conch cracking, conch cleaning and conch eating competitions while the sweet sound of Bahamian music, courtesy of the Royal Bahamas Police Force Pop Band, wafted through the air.

Headlining the event was BTC’s own Brand Ambassador D-MAC, who got the crowd dancing with a slew of his popular singles like ‘Dogs don’t bark at Park Car’ ‘Da Bush’ and ‘Diggin’.

“This is exactly the kind of event that the Bahamas Telecommunications Company is proud to support” said Northern VP Eldri Ferguson Mackey.

“We’re constantly looking for opportunities to support initiatives that really exemplify things that are intrinsically Bahamian and there’s nothing more Bahamian than conch salad.”

This year, BTC sponsored the “Best Conch Cracker” contest which featured participants not just from Grand Bahama Island, but Abaco, Grand Cay and Sweetings Cay, all vying for the coveted floating conch trophy, a seven-hundred-dollar cash prize, a brand new mobile device and the title of “Best Conch Cracker.”

This year’s contest also featured an international regular at the event, Bob Porter, an American who has been attending the McClean’s Town event for the past 15 years along with his wife.

Once all the conchs were cracked, Wilson Duncombe of Sweetings Cay, was declared the overall Winner in a record time of five minutes and fifteen seconds.

In a close second place, was Abaco contestant Carlton McIntosh in five minutes and thirty seconds while Joseph Tate rounded out the top three with an even six minutes.

“As a committee we appreciate the level of support we receive from the community and the public and so we’re working toward making this festival even bigger and better” explained Committee Chairman Kendall Leathen.

“For us, that means including more activities for participants and hopefully creating a special document detailing the history and growth and development of the festival”.

In addition to providing this year’s prizes, BTC also provided free area Wi-Fi at the event and offered customers the opportunity to purchase BTC Top Up as well as discounts on various mobile devices.

ABOUT BTC:  BTC is the first quad play provider in The Bahamas. The company offers a full suite of landline, internet, mobile and television services allowing customers to stay connected throughout The Bahamas. BTC is deeply rooted in community and supports a wide range of culture, youth, education and sporting initiatives. These include Junkanoo, Bahamas Junkanoo Carnival, IAAF/BTC World Relays and CARIFTA. BTC maintains a four-year scholarship program with The University of The Bahamas and provides funding for the University’s endowment fund.  Just recently, the company signed an agreement for the establishment of an Innovation Lab at the University. The company is jointly owned by Liberty Global and The Government of The Bahamas.