This week will be a celebration of Caribbean culture, music, food, and more as Caribfest kicks off on the Midwestern State University campus. All week long, different events will take place as MSU's Caribbean Student Organization hosts the annual event.

Each day this week will feature a different event including the Soca show on Monday, the Ms. Caribfest pageant on Wednesday, and the annual Caribfest parade on Friday evening.

facebook.com/csocaribfest
facebook.com/csocaribfest
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This year's Caribfest will also pay tribute to Dr Jesse Rogers, who was a key factor in initiating the Caribbean recruitment program at MSU. A press release about the history of Caribfest says:

Caribfest is an annual festival that has been held within the Wichita Falls community for over fifteen years. The primary goal of this event is to provide a simulated Caribbean Carnival experience to residents within the Wichita Falls community, while simultaneously raising funds for local charities. The event showcases an array of Caribbean culture through pageantry, festive handmade costumes, and indigenous Caribbean music and food. This year all of the funds raised for Caribfest will be donated to the Wichita Falls Independent School District and the Arc of Wichita County.

This event was orchestrated by the Midwestern State University Caribbean Students Organization. The Caribbean Students Organization (CSO) has been a part of Midwestern State University, and by extension the Wichita Falls community, for the last 20 years. In 1994, the founding fathers, Dr. Randy Glean and Terrence Innis, worked diligently to create an environment that encouraged tertiary level education to Caribbean students. By doing this, students from the various Caribbean islands were given the opportunity to call Wichita Falls their home away from home while pursuing their degree programs at MSU. As of August 2014, over 1500 Caribbean Students have been recruited to Midwestern State University. The organization participates in several outreach, and community service programs, built relationships with local churches and businesses, and strives to encourage positive Caribbean awareness in Wichita Falls and surrounding areas.

Each year, the members of CSO strive to make this event bigger and better to make it more appealing to the residents. As a result of their undying efforts, the local community has embraced this, and many of the other events hosted by the organization. It is our promise to raise Caribbean cultural awareness, it is our duty to give back to the local community, and it is our vow to ensure that Caribfest 2014 not only meets, but surpasses the expectation of all the supporters, old and new alike. "20 YEARS OF PURE CSO VYBZ: TASTE the Culture, FEEL the culture, LIVE the culture"

-Fidel Mitchell & Jenelle Willette

For more information, ticket prices, or questions, you can follow Caribfest on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube or visit the CSO Website. Don't miss out on these fun events all week long!

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