A night to remember in Mellieħa

Saturday night, July 4, was a wonderful night to remember in Mellieħa. Sincere thanks go to Mayor Robert Cutajar and all the various organisers of the Motor Sports Festival who helped him bring about an event which in my opinion should be an annual occurrence from now on. Fortunately for us, Mellieħa can lend itself to any event but this superseded all of them and it was an attraction for all ages. It was so good to see the smiling faces all around, regardless of age.

From the start, Parish Square was packed with quality activities which included racing cars, mini- scooters and the quite hairy but brave rock climbing of Land Rovers. We left the square and wound our way down to the main street and this is when we encountered the icing on the cake of the whole evening.

The full stretch of Main Street was full of fabulous trucks, some of them American, as well as beautiful cars which we only normally see on a TV screen. But the best thing was that all the bars and restaurants had brought out their tables and chairs and filled in the spaces between these exhibits so customers could sit and dine or drink surrounded by these beauties. For a split second I thought I was in Las Vegas but no, I was in the street where we usually do our shopping and other business. All these outlets were doing a roaring trade in an atmosphere of al fresco dining. It certainly was a night to remember.

May I suggest that in the summer months the evenings of Friday, Saturday and Sunday should be al fresco nights in Mellieħa.

With no traffic from 7 p.m. onwards it would be heaven not to hear the sound of vehicles racing up and down the hilly street and for a change leave people to enjoy a meal, a drink and a chat in an exhaust-free environment.

It happened last Saturday, it can happen every week in summer. Give the locals a break and give the tourists something to talk about when they get back home.

Once again, thanks to all those in any way involved in the Mellieħa Motor Sports Festival. Well done!