July 15, 2008 — Mary L. Moorhead and Betty Wilson of Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow briefed the Finance Committee on the organization's recent Emancipation Day activities Tuesday and put in their budget request of $65,000 to put on next year's show.
Every year, Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow puts together a series of lectures, historical reenactments, donkey races and other celebrations during the first week of July, commemorating the slave revolt and subsequent emancipation by Danish Gov. Peter von Scholten on July 3, 1848.
(See "Moorhead, Farrakhan Enthrall Emancipation Day Throng." and "Donkey Races Draw Laughs and Large Crowd.")
Sen. Terrence "Positive" Nelson praised Moorhead for her efforts and said cultural events such as Emancipation are beginning to draw visitors from off island.
"St. Croix is starting to move," he said. "People are beginning to come for events. The only thing holding it back is our shortage of rooms."
Moorhead suggested having the St. Croix-St. Thomas Ferry dock in Frederiksted for the festivities would help bring more St. Thomas and St. John residents for the festivities.
"Having a ferry would help until there is more hotel capacity, too," she said.
No votes were taken and at this point in the hearing, only Nelson and Sen. Liston A. Davis were present. Absent were Sens. James Weber III, Neville James, Juan Figueroa-Serville, Ronald Russell, Carlton "Ital" Dowe and Norman Jn Baptiste, though all were present earlier in the hearing.
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