July 6, 2008 — When you mix mangos with melee you get one of the biggest tropical celebrations in the Virgin Islands. The 12th annual Mango Melee Festival held at St. George Village Botanical Gardens keeps getting bigger with Sunday attracting more than 4,000 people.
Resident Jeanette Guzman gives an idea of why the event is so attractive. "We come. We see. We buy. We eat," she says.
The plants, the activities and the competitions are very well organized, according to Guzman. She adds that the festival is an afternoon that attracts all generations. Attending with her were her kids, her mother and her grandmother.
'There was not one glitch," said Lesley Hoffman, St. George Village Botanical Gardens' administrative director as she put her hands up in the air. She said she was also pleased with the turn out.
Probably the most crowd-pleasing competitions were the mango-eating contests. There was one competition for children under 12 and another for adults. The competition was held at the foot of the hill outside the Great House. The crowd was so large that late arrivals were lucky if they could find a spot to see the action.
"It is getting so big people bring their own cheering section," said Nana A. Kofi Boateng, University of the Virgin Islands Cooperative Extension Service associate director and Emcee for the contest. "I see some kids year after year. They come out to see each other too."
First place for kids went to Jeremy Gronauer, wolfing down seven mangoes and winning $50. The adult taking first was Isabel Rivera netting $100 and eating 10 mangoes as quick as possible.
The activity that attracted the most participants was the mango and local fruit juice tasting. The line snaked from the courtyard through the workshop area all the way back to the museum store, but the wait was only about 15 minutes to get to the front of the line and it was worth it.
All types of locally grown mangos such as the Tommy Atkins, Zill, Irwin and Carrie were available for sampling at no cost. Samples of local fruit juices like soursop, tamarind and passion fruit were also handed out. Eldridge "Sparks" Thomas produced the juices.
One visitor down from the states was heard to observe. "Boy, this stuff tastes good even without the rum."
But every activity attracted its own special crowd as in the cooking enthusiasts in the "Mango 'Dis, Mango 'Dat" food competition. There were all categories of mango culinary delights being judged such as mango salsa and mango desserts.
A fruit sniffing identification contest of ten different fruits was set upon by young and old.
And for those who wanted to get some education during the day there were five workshops. They touched on topics such as medicinal use of mangoes, pest management, production and nutritional benefits of mangoes.
The garden nursery sold high quality local tropical plants and tours of the gardens were conducted. Kids games and activities were held under a tent on the lawn.
When a competition or activity was not what a person wanted there was always the footpaths with several dozen local vendors offering juices, foods, crafts, paintings, and more. And, then when a little quiet was what was needed, parents were seen taking their children off for hikes on the many trails that run through the gardens.
At the end of the day a silent auction was held so all of the lovely fruits on display would not go to waste.
"This is the perfect event to showcase local horticulture," said David Hamada, horticultural director at the botanical garden.
Mango Melee is sponsored by the Botanical Garden, UVI, V.I. Department of Agriculture, HOVENSA, Marshall and Sterling plus more and assisted by the V.I. Department of Tourism.
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