What do you call two parade days spanning over a dozen hours, filled with hundreds of revelers, royalty, bands, majorettes and troupes? It’s nothing short of the perfect way to end the Festival season on St. Croix.
Crowds lined the streets on both Friday and Saturday, with more spectators than usual out for the Children’s Parade and even more to cheer on the adults. Gov. Albert Bryan Jr. and Lieutenant Gov. Tregenza Roach stepped out front to open both and honor parade Grand Marshals Michelle Smith and The Gentlemen of Jones, represented by Ralph Munchez Jr., which is celebrating 70 years in the St. Croix community.
Among the other troupes celebrating anniversaries were the St. Croix Majorettes, which also brought up the front of both parades in honor of their 50th. In a showstopping performance during the Adults Parade, the group included a handful of its original members, who were also decked out in the sparkling gold uniforms, never missing a beat as they twirled their batons in tune to the music.
The sparkling crowns of this year’s Festival royalty also lit up the route, from the reigning Queen Na’Zirah Armstrong to the courts from both St. Croix high schools. Clad in red during the Children’s Parade, Armstrong said she was inspired by the legacy of her great, great aunt Jessica Tutein, the first ever Miss St. Croix.
“I never met her but I heard so much about her that even when I was running for the pageant and the committee reminded me I said well I have to push a little extra now. She’s the first and I’m the reigning and I’m so glad to be part of this history,” Armstrong said. Joking that she usually has a 9 p.m. bedtime, Armstrong added that she’s pushed it back for the Festival season, and has been having “so much fun along the way.”
“My community has always been near and dear to my heart, and it’s embracing me in this new way. I cannot help but be grateful,” she said.
Gratitude was a sentiment expressed by many along the parade routes, including Department of Tourism Deputy Commissioner Shamari Haynes, whose Simply Sophisticated troupe combined this year with Savage Festival to form a 1,000-person strong movement. Asked how he pulled it off, Haynes said his team works constantly behind the scenes to make costumes and handle the logistics. The result during the Adults Parade Saturday was a sea of feathers that couldn’t be rivaled, with six sections, four bands and even two bars – along with a “whole lot of fun.”
Meanwhile, on the Children’s Parade Route, Juanita Gardine’s Birds of Paradise-themed troupe also brought out the feathers, with costumes covered in everything from bright blue to the yellow of the bananaquit. The red, according to Principal Barbara McGregor, represented the scarlet ibis, while the blue spoke to the herons that can be seen flitting through the local mangroves.
“We even have our bird watchers,” McGregor said of the students who also strolled up the route in khaki safari costumes. The crowd favorite, however, was the troupe’s bird cage, which was rolled along by the student inside – a little birdie, McGregor said, that had flown the coop to enjoy Food Fair and the other delights of Festival.
Many entries also paid tribute to V.I. culture, including the Ten Sleepless Knights quadrille dancers, the Guardians of Culture Mocko Jumbies and an entry in the Children’s Parade from the 175th Emancipation Committee that, according to organizer Carol Burke, displayed costumes that blended a bit of the traditional with a bit of the modern. Yisrael Petersen’s New Generation of Moko Jumbies, from St. John, also joined in on the fun, Burke said.
For video coverage of the Parades, check out our Consider the Source Special or visit our Facebook page for on-the-spot interviews along the route from hosts Diana Dias and Sonny Robles.
