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HomeNewsArchivesSOURCE GUIDE TO V.I. CARNIVAL 2001

SOURCE GUIDE TO V.I. CARNIVAL 2001

April 5, 2001 — "A Fantasia of Fun for Carnival 2001" promises all that those enamored of makin' mas at the annual St. Thomas celebration have come to expect –- and more.
One thing that makes this Carnival unique is that it serves as the start of a year's worth of Carnival-theme commemorations and celebrations leading up to next year's event, which will be the 50th anniversary of the annual modern-day Carnival observances on St. Thomas.
Here's your unofficial Source program page summarizing all that's scheduled along this year's three-week road march that kicks off April 7. Store this URL in your "favorites" for future reference right up through the fireworks finale on April 28 (not to mention the "last lap" party the following night). We'll update the file as new information becomes available.
There's nothing Virgin Islanders like more than Carnival and good food, and everybody knows there are two places where these loves come together — at the Carnival Village in the Fort Christian parking lot and at the Food Fair in and around Rothschild Francis "Market" Square.
This year there's an appropriate bit of overlap namewise in that regard. The Village is being christened "Dotsy's Kallaloo Pot" in tribute to longtime culture-preservation advocate Dorothy "Dotsy" Elskoe. The Food Fair, with its concurrent Arts and Crafts Fair, is being dubbed "Beulah's Mixing Bowl" in honor of Beulah Wheatley, a culinary contributor to Carnivals for many years.
What's new before 2002
For Carnival 2001, the Carnival Committee has added three new official offerings:
– a Latin Night show on Thursday, April 19, in Lionel Roberts Stadium.
– a historic Carnival Exhibit, on Thursday, April 26, in Emancipation Garden.
– a weekly half-hour radio report, "The Carnival Show," on WSTA/Lucky 13 at 7:30 p.m. each Monday through April 30. Plans, updates, background information, music and personalities are being featured.
It's also taken away one: After last few years of conflicts, controversies, charges, countercharges, boycotts and general ill will, the Brass-O-Rama is no more.
Jamaica's enduring ska-to-soca band Byron Lee and the Dragonaires proved to be such a hit last year that the committee has brought them back. On April 28, after the fireworks have faded from everything but memory, they'll take to the Village bandstand to perform until the wee hours, carrying Carnival 2001 officially into history. And then, Lee will be back the next day for the "Last Lap" party at the Palms Court Harborview Hotel.
What, who, when, where and how much
Following is the day-to-day schedule of Carnival Committee events. Where no ticket prices are given, events and activities are free.
Saturday, April 7 – 8 p.m., Caribbean Music Night show, Lionel Roberts Stadium. Krosfyah from Barbados, WCK from Dominica, Inner Vision from St. John and Imaginations Brass from St. Thomas are scheduled to perform. Tickets are $20 in advance, $25 at the gate.
Sunday, April 8 – 5 p.m., Prince and Princess Talent and Selection Show, Lionel Roberts Stadium. The contestant duos are Brittany Alexandria Rodriquez with Omari Akeem Williams, Jonelle-Alexis Jackson with Chamoi Valentino Frazer, and Ceciley C. Fahie with Akeem Antonio Forbes. Imaginations Brass will provide music. Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for children in advance, $12 for adults and $7 for children at the gate.
Saturday, April 14 – 8 p.m., St. Thomas-St. John Hotel and Tourism Association's Queen Talent and Selection, Lionel Roberts Stadium. Candidates La Starr Watley, Dionne Williams, LaMonique Morris, Shelene Leonard, Cherrisse Woods and Isemillia Chinnery will vie to collect the crown from 2000 queen Canika-Chisa George. P'your Passion will provide music. Tickets are $15 in advance, $20 at the gate.
Sunday, April 15 – 1 p.m., Innovative Traditional Games, Lionel Roberts Stadium. All youngsters are invited to join in games including jacks, marbles, tee-toe-tum, red light/green light, top spinning, stealing the bacon and hoople and beal tire races.
5 p.m., Toddlers' Derby, also in the stadium, with 20 races in categories from infants to 7 years old. Sign-up is between 3 and 4 p.m. Also, six contestants will vie for "Best Dressed as a Doll."
Monday, April 16 – 6 p.m., Carnival Show for patients and staff, Roy L. Schneider Hospital lobby.
Tuesday, April 17 – 8 p.m., Pueblo Junior Calypso Competition, Lionel Roberts Stadium, with 24 entries in Primary, Intermediate and Secondary categories. Music by Joe Ramsay and the All Stars. Co-sponsored by The Avis, Cingular Wireless and the Human Services Department.
Wednesday, April 18 – 8 p.m., Coors Light Cultural Night/King and Queen of the Bands competition, Lionel Roberts Stadium. There'll be performances by the Lockhart School Quadrille Dancers, Charlotte Amalie High School Hispanic Dancers, Eudora Kean High School Cultural Heritage Dancers, Milo's Kings, John McCleverty Mocko Jumbies, Infernos Showgirls, Tropical Masqueraders, Traditional Indians and the Carnival 2001 queen contestants. Vying for the King and Queen of the Bands are entries from the Elskoe and Associates, Hugga Bunch, Infernos and Jus Action troupes/floupes and the University of the Virgin Islands. Competing for the Junior King and Queen crowns are Class Is Class Too, Fun Bunnies and Sun Children.
Thursday, April 19 – 8 p.m., Latin Night show, Lionel Roberts Stadium. "Rubby" Perez and the Ballet Folclorico from the Dominican Republic, and Andy Montanez from Puerto Rico are the featured performers. Tickets are $15 in advance, $20 at the gate. Co-sponsors are American Airlines, Holiday Inn/Windward Passage and Cruzan Rum.
Friday, April 20 – 8 p.m., Heineken Calypso Revue I, Lionel Roberts Stadium. Tickets are $12 in advance, $15 at the gate. The talent lineup for this evening the Revue II on the following night consists of Trinidadians Bomber, Explainer, Mighty Chalkdust, Pink Panther, Denise Plumber, Shadow and Singing Sandra; T.C. from Barbados, Hunter from Antigua, Swallow from Antigua, Socrateses from St. Kitts, T-Mo from St. Martin, King Kong Fu Plentae (in the latest version of his name) from St. Croix, and King Solomon, Super T and reigning Calypso Monarch Whadablee from St. Thomas. Irvin "Brownie" Brown and Trinidad's Tommy Joseph will share emcee duties. Co-sponsoring the two nights of calypso with Heineken/Bellows International are American Airlines, Holiday Inns/Windward Passage Hotel, MSI Building Supplies and the Water and Power Authority.
Saturday, April 21 – 8 p.m., Heineken Calypso Revue II, Lionel Roberts Stadium. Tickets are $15 in advance, $20 at the gate. See Revue I for details.
Sunday, April 22 – 10 a.m., power boat racing and other watersports activities, Charlotte Amalie harbor, with viewing from the waterfront apron. Powerboats from St. Thomas, St. John, St. Croix and Tortola will compete, plus there'll be kayak, greased-pol and jetski events.
4 p.m., coronation of the Carnival prince, princess and queen, Emancipation Garden. And the winners are … Queen Cherrisse Woods, Prince Omari Williams and Princess Brittany Rodriquez.
7 p.m., Pan-O-Rama, Lionel Roberts Stadium. The annual display of steelpan talent by mostly school and youth groups, a popular all-family Carnival show, starts an hour earlier than the rest. Scheduled to play in "Pantasia of Fun" are the Antilles Steel Hurricanes, Bertha C. Boschulte Burning Blazers, E. Benjamin Oliver Owls of Steel, Ivanna Eudora Kean Devil Rays, Love City Pan Dragons and Baby Pan Dragons, Montessori Meteors, Pan in Motion, St. Thomas All Stars, Sts. Peter and Paul Angels of Steel, Sibilly Sun Rays, Territorial Court Rising Stars Youth Steel Orchestra, Thunderbirds, Ulla Muller Yout
h Steelband and V.I. Housing Youth Steel Orchestra. The show is sponsored by Innovative Long Distance. Tickets $10 adults, $5 children.
Monday, April 23 – 6 p.m., ribbon-cutting ceremony to open Carnival Village, Fort Christian parking lot. Sponsored by the West Indian Co., "Dotsy's Kalaloo Pot," this year's name for the village, will open with Gov. Charles W. Turnbull and Queen Cherrisse cutting the traditional ribbon. Prince Omari and Princess Brittany will do the honors for the Children's Village. See the separate list below of which music groups will be performing when on the village stage throughout the week.
Tuesday, April 24 – 6 p.m., Pre-Teen Tramp, from Rothschild Francis "Market" Square to Emancipation Garden. The Rising Stars will lead the way. First-, second- and third-place trophies will be awarded to the schools with the most students taking part — with the count based on school uniforms worn.
8 p.m., Senior Citizens' Quelbe Tramp, from the square to the Village. The Rising Stars will lead the way, and other musicians will play instruments they carry — including pans on neckstraps.
Wednesday, April 25 – 8 a.m., the newly renamed Food, Arts and Crafts Fair opens for business, Market Square and along Main Street. 2001 Fair honoree Beaulah Wheatley is known for her baked goods and stew tamarind and cherry treats. The official ribbon-cutting ceremony is set for noon, with the governor, Carnival royalty, Milo's Kings, the St. Thomas All Stars Steel Orchestra and the Eudora Kean Pass It On Cultural Heritage Dancers taking part. If you want plants, get there even before 8 a.m. for the pick of the pots.
Thursday, April 26 – 12:30 to 4 a.m. (Wednesday night to most people), J'Ouvert Warm-up, waterfront and around the Village.
4 a.m., J'Ouvert start, Veterans Drive, moving from the Village to Sub Base.
10 a.m., opening of the first-ever Carnival Exhibit, Emancipation Garden. Displays will include Carnival memorabilia, the creating of costumes (with Alrid Lockhart to demonstrate), and the making of steelpan instruments. There will be presentations on various Carnival art forms and historical highlights. The official welcome program starts at noon with music by Stanley and the Ten Sleepless Knights.
8 p.m., the Innovative Telephone V.I. Calypso Competition, Lionel Roberts Stadium. Challenging reigning Calypso King Whadablee, who's looking to three-peat, are Calypso Sis, De Flash, Generic, King Kan Fu Plentae, Mighty Pat, Pat Raggaie, Sugar Dee, Super T, Trashrow and Tumba, with the Incredible Shark and King Salomon as alternates. Tickets $12 in advance, $15 at the gate.
Friday, April 27 – 10 a.m., Children's Parade, from Market Square to Lionel Roberts Stadium.
Saturday, April 28 – 10 a.m., Adults' Parade, from Western Cemetery to Lionel Roberts Stadium.
9 p.m., Fireworks over Charlotte Amalie harbor. For the 13th time, world-famous Zambelli Internationale is in charge of the sky lights, which, as last year, will be fired from the Lady Romney motor vessel. Boaters may anchor in the harbor to watch but must stay at least 1,000 feet from the Romney, and no marine traffic will be allowed in the harbor during the show. The 18-minute display, choreographed to music that will be simulcast on the Knight Quality Stations — Radio One, Kiss-FM and Jamz, is timed to the second, and that's not "island time," so latecomers will be out of luck. Co-sponsors with KQS are Banco Popular, Coors Light, Innovative Cable TV/St. Thomas-St. John, MSI Building Supplies and the V.I. Carnival Committee. Lady Romney Shipping and WICO are providing logistical support.
Sunday, April 29 – New to official Carnival festivities this year, a Last-Lap Dance with music by Jamaican soca masters Byron Lee and the Dragonaires and the local band P'your Passion. Co-sponsored by American Airlines/American Eagle and the Holiday Inn/Windward Passage Hotel, it starts at 7 p.m. at Palms Court Harborview Hotel. Tickets $15 in advance, $20 at the door. To avoid parking tie-ups, there will be shuttle service between the USO parking lot and the Solberg Hill hotel — taking guests up between 6:30 and 8:30 p.m. and back down after the dance ends.
Here's the lineup for live music in the Village:
Monday, April 23 – 7-9 p.m., Eudora Kean High School Devil Rays steelband
9:30 p.m. – 2 a.m. (Tuesday), Jam Band
Tuesday, April 24 – 6-8 p.m., V.I. Housing Authority Steel Orchestra
9 p.m. – 1 a.m. (Wednesday), Lashing Dog
Wednesday, April 25 – 6-8 p.m., Sea Breeze
8 p.m.-midnight, Imaginations Brass
midnight-3:30 a.m., P'your Passion
Thursday, April 26 – (J'Ouvert morning) 8 a.m.-noon, China Dan
10 p.m. – 2 a.m. (Friday), Stanley and the Ten Sleepless Knights
Friday, April 27 – 7-11 p.m., Xpress Band
11 p.m.-3 a.m., Starlites
Saturday, April 28 – 6-9 p.m., Milo's Kings
9 p.m.-midnight, Imaginations Brass
midnight-3 a.m., Byron Lee & the Dragonaires
For the record
– Copies of the official 2001 Coors Light Carnival poster are available at the Carnival Committee office.
– Tickets to paid-entry events are being sold at Nisky Pharmacy, International Records & Tapes, Parrot Fish Music, T&P Cash and Carry, Family Health Center/Barbel Plaza, Modern Music/Havensight and Krystal & Gifts Galore on St. Thomas; and at the St. John Drug Center on St. John. A $90 season pass covers everything but the Byron Lee last-lap dance.
The V.I. Carnival web site instituted last year is being updated regularly, including the posting of photos and coverage of nightly events. It's located at www.vicarnival.com.
Who's who and how to reach them
The executive director of the V.I. Carnival Committee is Caswil D. Callender. The executive board consists of Kenneth Blake, chair; Cheryl C. Cooper, vice chair; Laura Daniel, correspondent; Linda Serrano, recorder; Derrick A. Gumbs, treasurer; and Lorraine Morton, public relations officer.
The V.I. Carnival Committee office is located on Main Street on the second floor of the building across from the Island Fair Department Store; the entrance is through a pink gate. The main telephone number is 776-3112. The fax number is 777-9199. The e-mail address is jouvert@viaccess.net.

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