July 4, 2008 — St. John marked July 4 in style Friday with its annual July 4th Celebration parade.
"You haven't been to St. John till you've been to the parade," said St. John resident Keryn Bryan.
Chatting with friends, she said it was her favorite day of the year.
The parade, which wended its way from the V.I. National Park ballfield through the streets of Cruz Bay to Julius E. Sprauve School, saw dozens of troupes and floupes dressed in costumes of nearly every shade of the rainbow.
Many groups hailed from St. Thomas, but St. John had its share of entries.
The Guy Benjamin School troupe called themselves the Hummingbirds. It was the first time the school had come out for the parade in many years, and Principal Dionne Wells explained why.
"We need to be more involved in culture and what's happening in the community," she said.
St. John's Middle Age Majorettes unveiled their new costumes. This year the white T-shirts printed with blue bikinis sported all manner of sparkles, sequins and flowers.
AARP members wore red T-shirts instead of glitter, and carried signs with messages, including "Economic security for all."
The members from across the territory said they were pushing for health and economic security for all people, not just AARP members.
Cruz Bay was packed with people from far and wide who came for the parade. Taking in the sights and sounds were three people from Ohio: Mike Coates of East Sparta, Joe Siebert of Magnolia, and Carol Spring of Canton.
Siebert said he happened on J'ouvert early Friday morning when he took a friend to the ferry and decided he had to see the parade.
"I thought, 'If it's this crazy already, I have to go,'" he said.
Even Gov. John deJongh Jr. commented on the number of tourists in town for the parade, despite the flagging economy on the mainland. It spoke well of St. John's tourism industry, he said.
"If you have a quality product, people will come," he said as he made his way down the parade route to greet visitors and residents.
The parade also brought out a slew of people from across the territory.
Meleah Bastian, 11, of St. John, and Caliah Charleswell, 10, of St. Thomas, sat side by side in umbrella-covered chairs near the Creek. When Meleah said the two were waiting for the parade, Caliah finished her sentence.
"Because it sounds interesting," she said.
A St. Thomas man who would give his name only as Geronimo took the barge across Pillsbury Sound with his goat, Juanita, in tow.
"Can I take a picture of you?" asked a couple of visitors.
Geronimo and Juanita complied.
People from across the Caribbean came to St. John for the parade, observed Lt. Gov. Gregory Francis, sitting in the reviewing stand. Delegate Donna M. Christensen also had a spot at the reviewing stand. A regular at the annual parade, she said she'd be back Monday to announce she was running for re-election.
"It was on St. John that I first announced I was a candidate," she said.
St. John Rescue was on hand with about a dozen of its members. Member George Cline said that this year, thanks to improvements in its communication systems, Rescue personnel could talk to Emergency Medical Services by just flipping a switch on their hand-held radios.
While vendors selling wares in Cruz Bay Park had complained Thursday that business was slow, things had picked up Friday.
"But most people come just to take pictures," said St. John resident Delroy "Ital" Anthony as visitors inspected his calabash bowls.
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