News of St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands

Besides the fireworks

There was lots more than sparklers and Roman Candles to the holiday weekend.

The 4th of July Parade was a hit, of course. The Middle Age Majorettes and steel pan bands joined nearly three dozen other marching groups, floats, decorated vehicles and all-around funsters. A group from Gifft Hill School marched along dancing to ‘Billie Jean’ in a tribute to Michael Jackson.

The St. John Source reported lots of people attended the parade from way off-island. Among them was Paula Hill of Winchester, Tenn. She runs Paula’s School of Baton. The Source said 11 twirlers marched in the parade as part of their visit to St. John and stayed, with their families, at the Westin Resort. 

In its report of the weekend, the Virgin Islands Daily News reported the island’s biggest party of the year kicked off before dawn with three bands tramping through Cruz Bay. One person on island Tweeted, “My God J’Ouvert is loud!” The paper added that thousands of people were in Cruz Bay for the Parade. 

Snap, Crackle, Pop

The annual fireworks capping the St. John Festival went off without a hitch Sunday night.

StJohnJason was on hand to video the doings, on a boat in the harbor.  The fireworks were also on the water, launched from a barge further out in Cruz Bay.

StJohnJason’s ‘coverage’ of the 2009 Festival

• Pan Dragons
• Fireworks part 1
• Fireworks finale
• Childrens Village

Like Letterman said, ‘It’s a Festival’

The Children’s Carnival Village opens today as part of the more-than-a-week-long St. John Festival. Rides and games for kids of all ages will be set up at the Creek, across from Nature’s Nook and where the car barges used to dock. 

Then tomorrow night, a pageant at the Sprauve School will crown Miss St. John.  Boat race in Cruz Bay harbor will be a highlight of Sunday’s activities.

Photo contest in the Virgin Islands National Park

Take some great pictures in the Park and you might win a new camera worth almost $3,000, the grand prize in Canon U.S.A.'s fourth annual Photography in the Parks contest. 

Entries can be submitted until the end of September. "Inspirational Nature Images" is the theme this year.  The rules say photographs can be taken "in any park (local, city, county, state, or National) or at any National Monument." The photographs also may not include any props which alter the appearance of the Park" and cannot include "representations of people," i.e. ... people!

"It is during these beautiful spring and summer months that we should all take the time to go outside and enjoy all that nature has to offer," said Yuichi Ishizuka, senior v,p. and general manager of Canon U.S.A. "We encourage everyone to enjoy the beauty of nature, and work to protect it."

This photo, Sunrise at Ditliff, was taken earlier this year ... by me.     :)

This is a link to details of the contest.

St. John Podcast: Shelley, the live trip blogger

Shelley McLennan didn’t see a whale during her visit to St. John last week, but she sure saw and and did a lot of other stuff.  And it’s all there for you to see, too, on her Island Girl blog.

Shelley’s the person I’ve named the Greatest Trip report writer.  She doesn’t wait ‘til she’s back home in Canada to chronicle her latest visit.  Rather she does it while she’s living it, almost ‘live blogging’ the vacation.  Husband Rob is cool, understanding that even after a night at Woody’s, Shelley may still go to the laptop and upload photos and write commentary about the day's events.

I’ve gotten to know Shelley and Rob over the past eight months.  They were staying at Blue Tang, our villa, when heavy weather came up last fall.  We got into e-mail contact then and have continued. 

When I saw Shelly’s Trip Reports on line, I had to know more.  And so in this week’s St. John Podcast, I talked about her love affair with the island (five visits, so far), how she plans her daily adventures, and what it’s like to take as many as 500 photos a day with a Nikon 700 camera.

Shelley's blog is at islandgirl.typepad.com

Listen to the show. Press the "Play" arrow.

You can also download or listen to the show by clicking here.

Dozens of previous podcasts are available in the archive at http://barnako.typepad.com/news_of_st_john_usvi/podcasts/

Zuber, Gracie win St. John’s 8 Tuff Miles

Jeremy Zuber of St. John won Saturday’s 13th annual 8 Tuff Miles race.  It is the sixth time in a row the 28-year-old Caneel Bay employee has won the race.  His time for the 8.38 mile Cruz Bay to Coral Bay course was 49 minutes 35 seconds. That was 12 seconds slower than his time last year. 

The race's finish report says Zuber's pace was 5.5 miles an hour - which doesn't make sense to me.  You run almost 8 miles in less than an hour, your place should be better than 8 mile san hour. No?

Among women, Heather Gracie of Peapack, New Jersey was first.  Her finishing time of 1 hours 3 minutes and 40 seconds gave her a reported pace of 7.36 miles an hour (Again, i don't trust this.).

Other ‘notable’ finishers include Luigi Costello, owner of Verace Jewelers at Wharfside.  He offered to match contributions made in support of other runners who beat him across the finish line.  Costello finished 60th overall.  There were some 800 entrants in the race; 782 finished..

The youngest competitors to finish were six-year-olds Kyle Sapio, Kai Copeland, Terra Ehrhart, and Lily Schutt.  Each lives on the island.

The most senior finisher was Velma Pullen, also of St. John.  The 80-year-old had a time of two hours, 28 minutes 9 seconds and a pace of 17.41 miles an hour.

Video of the start of the race posted on YouTube by Steve Simonsen.

Full race results are available at http://www.8tuffmiles.com/2009 OVERALL FINISH.HTM

Getting psyched for 8 Tuff Miles

A pre-8 Tuff Miles kickoff event tomorrow night at Pastory Gardens will feature the screening of Spirit of the Marathon, a documentary film focused on the annual 26.2 mile Chicago race.  Skinny Legs founder Mo Chabuz will be on hand to introduce the free movie, part of the newly-organized St. John Film Society’s efforts.

"As six unique stories unfold, each runner prepares for and ultimately faces the challenge of the Chicago Marathon. More than a sports movie, Spirit of the Marathon is an inspirational journey of perseverance and personal triumph; a spectacle that will be embraced by runners and non-runners alike."

Chabuz is working on a 8 Tuff Miles film and is expected to show a preview of it.  Jeremy Zuber, odds-on favorite to win the annual St. John road race for the 6th time in  a row, will also be on hand to offer inspiration to the 837 other expected race participants. And Peter Alter, 8 Tuff Miles’ founder, will talk about the upcoming race, scheduled for Feb. 28.  The event begins at 7 p.m.

Web site: 8tuffmiles.com

The weekend: Arts festival and waste recycling

In Cruz Bay, the ninth annual St. John Arts Festival began Friday and continues through Sunday. It’s three days of arts, crafts, locally-made items, special foods, and music.  The event is organized by Frank Langley.  Performers on the bandstand in Frank Powell Park will include Innervisions, Love City Pan Dragons, Samba Combo and Koko and the Sunshine Band.

On Saturday evening, at the Westin Resort, the St. John School of the Arts holds a “Dance-a-thon”.

On Sunday, Langley said, “Choirs from the local churches will celebrate the spiritual life of the people of St. John which remains unchanged.” In the evening at the Westin there will be a performance by the colorful and vibrant Caribbean Ritual Dancers.

Langley said he launched the festival many years ago after seeing changes and development on St. John.  He wanted to showcase the culture and history of the island, to encourage its development and continuation.
Web site: www.stjohnartsfestival.org

Meanwhile, the Virgin Islands Waste Management Authority has chosen Saturday morning for a recycling drive.  Folks who have old computers, monitors, copiers, and TV sets can bring them to the Bandstand in the Park for collection.

Valentine's day is serious here

Update:  67 couples said "I Do."  Full story from the St. John Source.

In Cruz Bay, there were three very large vendors' displays of stuffed bears and cellophane-wrapped candy/gift baskets. 

Kind of warm, though - makes you wonder about how the boxes of chocolates will fare.

Saturday, brings the 7th annual Trunk Bay event in which  Rev. Anne Marie Porter “remarries” what are likely to be dozens of couples.  It’s another of those island traditions that grows each year.  Starting time: 5 p.m.: http://www.re-marryyourmate.com/valentine.htm

St. John Photo Safari is a 'go'

Registration is full for next Wednesday’s photo-walk with Steve Simonsen.  Naturally, we’re all excited about the adventure.

There’s a waiting list. You can get on it if you understand you may get a call next Tuesday to be ready to go the next morning at 6 a.m.  E-mail me at frank@newsofstjohn.com.

We will be visiting three locations on St. John.  I'll post a gallery of the pictures we take. Hopefully, they will begin to appear next Thursday. I suspect they’ll be coming for a week.