June 10, 2008 — Seniors take to the stage Friday at Winston Wells Ballfield for the Senior Variety Show as St. John's annual July 4th Celebration moves into high gear.
The Senior Show begins at 7 p.m. Tickets run $15.
The seniors use the money they raise to pay for trips, said Leona Smith, who chairs the St. John Festival and Cultural Organization.
Saturday features the annual Bike Race. It starts at 8 a.m. at the V.I. National Park Visitors' Center and heads to Coral Bay before ending at Hawksnest Bay on the North Shore Road. The entry fee runs $5.
The event should draw about 20 racers from St. John, St. Thomas and Tortola, said Bike Race committee chairwoman Jane Thill.
The Princess Show takes center stage Sunday at Winston Wells Ball Field. It begins at 6 p.m. Tickets run $12 for adults in advance and $15 at the door. Children's tickets are $8 in advance and $10 at the door.
This year's contestants include Stephanie Caraballo, 7, a second grade student at St. John Christian Academy. Her parents are Angela Hiliaro and Benito Caraballo.
Alli-Yah Henry, 7, is a fourth grader at Guy Benjamin School. Her parents are Claudia Scatliffe and Allison Henry Sr.
Ja'Leah Stephens, 9, is a fourth grader at Julius E. Sprauve School. Her mother is former Miss St. John Shatik Stephens.
Judges will select Miss St. John June 21 at Winston Wells Ballfield. The show begins at 8 p.m. Tickets run $15 in advance and $20 at the door for adults. Children's tickets are $10 in advance or at the door.
Contestants include Danella Bridgewater, 16, a former princess and Junior Miss winner. She's in the 10th grade at Eudora Kean High School on St. Thomas. Her parents are Zunilda Bridgewater and Aubrey Bridgewater Sr.
Emori Frett, 18, is an honors graduate of Eudora Kean. Her parents are Edith Powell and Gerry Frett.
Razzilee Oquendo, a former princess, is 16 and a 10th grader at Eudora Kean. Her parents are Leann Oquendo and Rasacio Oquendo.
Tickets for both the princess and Miss St. John shows are available at Chelsea Drug Center and W&W Fast Food, both on St. John. Tickets are also available at International Records and Tapes on St. Thomas.
The princess show will include an introductory speech as well as swim wear, sportswear, storybook/cartoon character, evening wear and question-and-answer segments, said Enid Doway, who chairs the Princess and Miss St. John committees.
The Miss St. John show includes a presentation speech and swim wear, international wear/costume, evening wear and question-and-answer segments. The judges will interview the contestants on the day before the show, Doway said.
"These young ladies have been working really hard to prepare a great performance," Doway said.. "They could use the support of the entire island of St. John and the Virgin Islands."
The queen will be crowned at Food Fair, held at 1 p.m. June 22 at Cruz Bay Park. This year Food Fair will honor Yolanda Morton.
"She's been a Food Fair participant for a number of years and is known for her skills in local arts and crafts," Smith said.
At 3 p.m. June 22, power boats will race outside Cruz Bay. Boats will race in six categories, ranging in size from personal watercraft to cigarette boats, said organizer Glenville "Slim" Ross. This year's winners will take home a bigger purse than last year, but he declined to name the amounts.
Registration for the boat races runs $50 to $250 depending on the size of the boat.
The July 4th Celebration Village opens at 7 p.m. June 28. The village honors Irene Scatliffe, who for has run a booth in the village for many years.
"She's known for her chicken and johnny cake," Smith said. "She's a very good cook."
The village will remain open every night until July 4. The schedule of bands:
June 28 — Love City Pan Dragons, Wrection Band, Cool Session, and Jam Tymes
June 29 — Bouncer Band and Sugar Band
June 30 — Express Band and Jam Tymes
July 1 — Daddy Jones and Crew and Red Hot Flames of Antigua
July 2 — Pan in Motion, Spectrum, Carami, and Cool Session
July 3 — St. Thomas All Starts, JDPP Jammerz, Shurwayne Winchester and Traffik, and Burning Flames
July 4 — Ah We Band, Taxik and Claudette Peters and Krosfyah
On July 3, St. John will celebrate Cultural Day in Cruz Bay Park. While cultural items and food will be for sale from 11 a.m., the program begins at 3 p.m. Alecia M. Wells, who heads the Cultural Day organizing committee, said the program starts with blowing of the conch and music. It will feature plays and reenactments by St. John residents Clarence Cuthbertson, Gilbert Sprauve and Laurel Hewitt-Sewer.
Also performing will be quadrille dancers, the Love City Leapers and a Tortola jump rope group. The Cultural Day wraps up with a torch-light parade through the streets of Cruz Bay. It begins at 6:30 p.m.
And the local production company, Soulbashment, will hold a soca concert at Winston Wells Ballfield July 3. It begins at 10 p.m
Destra Garcia is the headliner of Girl Fete 2008: Ladies Rule, said DeJongh Wells, who organized the event along with Ian Samuel and Lindon Dagou.
"She's a soca artist from Trinidad," Wells said.
Garcia will be backed by Atlantik Band, also from Trinidad. Also performing will be Tizzy from Antigua and Sanell Dempster from Trinidad.
Tickets run $30 in advance. Door prices are not yet set.
Buy advance tickets on St. John at W&W Fast Food. On St. Thomas, buy them at Fashion Source in Tutu Park Mall, Urban Threadz, International Record and Tapes, and Native Son offices at Red Hook and the Charlotte Amalie Waterfront. Tickets are available on St. Croix at Mr. Dollar in Sunny Isle and on Tortola at the Native Son offices in Road Town and West End.
J'ouvert begins at 4 a.m. July 4 and runs through the streets of Cruz Bay. Any band that wants to participate is welcome, Smith said.
The annual parade takes to the streets of Cruz Bay at 11 a.m. July 4. It starts at the park ballfield with St. John Realtor Miles Stair as the parade marshal.
Stair, who owns Holiday Homes, makes generous financial contributions to the Festival and Cultural Organization, Smith said.
Fireworks begin at 9 p.m. July 4 over Cruz Bay harbor. The 20-minute program will be done by Moonlight Fireworks, Smith said.
The entire shebang wraps up at 1 p.m. July 5 with a beach jam at Oppenheimer Beach. The band El A Kru from Antigua will play, Smith said.
"Everybody's going to the beach," she said.
Back Talk Share your reaction to this news with other Source readers. Please include headline, your name and city and state/country or island where you reside.
