After weeks of preparation, the nails are being hammered, the murals painted, the tents being put up one by one, and everything is nearly in place for the 42nd annual agricultural extravaganza to open this weekend: V.I. Agrifest.
The theme for the fair is "AGRIFEST 2013 – Agriculture: Grow, Eat, Live".
As always, there will be music, contests, all kinds of corporate and government displays, a petting zoo, the best, freshest produce and lots and lots of food. Boy Scouts, 4-H kids, and other youth groups are setting up elaborately decorated hay bales and other arts and crafts projects for competition.
Sunday at 2 p.m. will be a kids’ "rodeo" and "Olympics" with clowns and games like sack races, obstacle races and a greased watermelon race, said Mathias Clavier, an agricultural extension specialist at the University of the Virgin Islands and director of UVI exhibits for the Agriculture and Food Fair Board.
"We’ve got all the events everyone has come to know as well as some new ones," Clavier said Monday. "The fair wear competition is always a very good attraction. Every year individuals come out and showcase what they’ve made, showing off their ability and creativity while showcasing our culture," Clavier said.
"One new thing I’m excited about – the V.I. Waste Management Authority is having a competition for the greenest booth," he said. WMA employees will be circling the grounds, looking at the food and beverage vendors and evaluating them on whether or how much they use recyclable and reusable materials, Clavier said.
"This is a good addition to the fair, which will help educate vendors on what they can do to help the environment and keep so many things from going to the landfill – and the things that do go will break down."
Local 4-H youth will give talks on animal husbandry and other farming topics and, this year, 4-H and the group Children, Youth and Families at Risk (CYFAR) will be holding "a youth marketplace, showcasing work the two groups have been doing around entrepreneurship," Clavier said.
The youth will have a marketplace with several tables within UVI’s main tent, where they will show their projects and products, he said. They will show portfolios of their entrepreneurial products and concepts, inviting people to "purchase" their products using tokens provided in the marketplace. Then the tokens will be exchanged for prizes, with the biggest sellers winning the most, he said.
In the main building, more than 50 spaces will be filled by farmers with fruits, vegetables and other plants, and more than 30 spaces will be filled with schools and youth exhibits.
The V.I. Board of Elections, the UVI Research and Public Service component, and the V.I. and U.S. Departments of Agriculture will be among the many organizations with tented displays.
Roughly 170 vendors and demonstration booths will be at the fest this year. And dignitaries from all over the Caribbean will be on hand for Saturday’s opening ceremonies.
There are going to be three stages with music throughout the festival, and several St. Thomas and St. John bands are coming over to be part of the entertainment, along with St. Croix’s popular soca, salsa, and steel pan bands.
Like every year, there will be unusual food demonstrations showcasing both local ingredients and culturally significant recipes. Saturday at 2 p.m. Severin Miller will be demonstrating how to make coconut drops and other pastry treats.
On Sunday, Evannie Jeremiah will show how to make tannia cakes with fresh tomato sauce.
And Monday, Clint Ferris returns with his ever popular ice cream making demonstrations. This year Ferris plans to show fairgoers how to make lemongrass sorbet and breadfruit ice cream.
There will also be a public contest Sunday for the best gingerbeer and best beignet, as well as the annual contests among the cooks in the food pavilion for best kallalloo, roast pork and other traditional favorites
All manner of other local food will be on hand too, from maubi to pumpkin fritters to stewed gooseberries.
The fair, which annually draws up to 30,000 visitors, is hosted annually by UVI’s Cooperative Extension Service, along with the V.I. Departments of Agriculture, Tourism and Health.
Every year the fairgrounds and each pavilion are renamed to honor important Virgin Islands icons, often people involved in agriculture, cooking and in supporting the annual Agrifest.
This year the fairgrounds are named the Ruth D. Lang Agriculture & Food Fair Grounds.
The farmers market is named for farmer Grizelle "Isoke" Davila; the food pavilion for Corliss A. Wilson Nathaniel; and the livestock pavilion for "The Thomas Family."
Gates at the fair open at 9 a.m. Saturday, with opening ceremonies at 10, where the farmer of the year will be named. After the farmer of the year, there will be a quadrille dance that is open to all.
Festivities continue Sunday and Monday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. The entrance fee on all three days is $6 for adults, $3 for children and $4 for senior citizens.
More information, contest details and entertainment schedules are available from the 2012 V.I. Agrifest website – www.viagrifest.org.
