Calypso music fans will get to see and hear the son of Trinidadian legend Lord Kitchener again Saturday night on the stage at the Lionel Roberts Stadium at Calypso Revue II. Or for the first time, if they weren't at the Calypso Revue I show Friday night.
After Friday's performance by Kernal Roberts that left the audience cheering, V.I. Carnival Committee chair Kenneth Blake announced that the one-night-only engagement of the Grandmaster's son had been extended.
The committee dedicated this year's Calypso Revues to the memory of Aldwyn Roberts, known worldwide as Lord Kitchener, who died in February at the age of 77. A calypso performer, composer and arranger for six decades, Kitchener became known as the Grandmaster among his musical peers. He was a perennial favorite at the V.I. Carnival showcase of international talent.
The calypso world isn't ready yet to say that the younger Roberts has inherited the mantle of his famed father, but if the St. Thomas audience is any gauge, that day may not be far off. As the 40-ish calypsonian flashed a familiar smile and made the signature Kitchener moves, people in the audience who had watched Kitch perform for years threw up their hands and gasped. Trinidadian co-emcee Tommy Joseph commented at one point that this is what happens when you have children.
Appearing in the footlights just above a banner reading "In Memory of the Grandmaster Aldwyn Roberts, Lord Kitchner 1922-2000," the younger Roberts launched into the dance steps and gestures that were the hallmarks of his father's showmanship. Dressed in a maroon suit with matching tie and a felt fedora, he transformed his personna into that of the beloved Kitch. As he performed three numbers, including a song introduced in January shortly before his father's death, many in the crowd burst into cheers and clapped their encouragement.
"It's good to be onstage carrying on for Daddy," Roberts said between numbers, "but when the master calls, all must come."
Backstage, Roberts talked about his own musical career in Trinidad. He had been performing as a drummer, he said, but, when his father died a few weeks before Trinidad's Carnival, he decided to don the suit and the hat and perform his father's song that had already been produced for this year's celebration.
"After Daddy passed, I decided to follow in Daddy's footsteps for the rest of his years and the rest of my years, carrying on in his footsteps," he said.
Roberts said he refined his performance on the stage in Trinidad and is now booked for year-round tours as the "Son of Kitchner."
He had contracted to perform only on Friday in Lionel Roberts Stadium because his band had an engagement Saturday night back home. However, he said Friday night, the other members gave their consent for him to miss the gig and stay on for the second St. Thomas show, with other musicians agreeing to play the drums Saturday night.
For a review of Friday's overall show, click on Other stuff.

Saturday, May 6, is the big day. Sometime between 9 a.m. and noon is the time. The Carnival Y2K Adults Parade is the event. Will you have your costume ready?
It's a question thousands of troupe, floupe and float leaders and members are asking one another right about now — the same question they ask this time every year. The answer is one that is months in the making. . .
For 31 years I have been building costumes and coming down the road with the Gypsy Troupe. In February, we began planning for this year's parade. We watched videos, studied pictures and racked our brains for costume ideas that would showcase our talents, celebrate our new millennium, and somehow relate to the V.I. Carnival Committee's chosen theme: "Jump Up and Sway, It's Carnival for Y2K."
Variations on the theme
After several weeks of evaluating ideas, rendering possible costumes and discussing construction techniques, we chose a general costume. I use the term "general costume" because many factors invariably influence the evolution of the outfit from idea to reality. There is the challenge of actually fabricating the costume. Almost anything can be built. The challenge is to find affordable techniques that the average troupe member can apply. Other major considerations are the availability and price of materials. Additional factors include personal preferences and unanticipated opportunities.
Consider my experience in developing the Gypsy Troupe's 1969 Adam and Eve costume. The basic get-up was a tan body stocking with strategically affixed green lamé leaves. A sizable number of troupe members were uncomfortable about revealing even the outer contours of their physiology to the public in a body stocking. Enter the "apple tree" option, replete with jewelry for those so inclined.
Then there was the year that we came down the road as computers. The basic costume was a cardboard washing machine, dryer, TV, stove or refrigerator box decorated to resemble a mainframe computer (this was before the era of PC's). It turned out that a sizable group in the troupe felt the costume wasn't fancy enough and didn't allow for adequate personal body language. Enter the "computer repair person" wearing a silver lamé jumpsuit and carrying assorted items of testing gear.
Often a concept costume's support mechanisms prove to be too fragile, heavy, costly or difficult to fabricate — unless you are lucky enough to have specialists. Within the Gypsy troupe, Andy Bornn was known as the "wire bender par excellence." Phillip Corneiro has been an ever-ready source of mechanical expertise. Their apprentices, Tony Boschulte and Enrique Richards, are the current Gypsy gurus — always available to pioneer new processes and teach the finer aspects of bending, gluing and tacking to their fellow troupers.
On with the sew
Once costume construction begins, it progresses slowly as materials are assembled and bold members begin to experiment with innovative construction methods. This year, each member of the troupe will carry a "fireworks display." Each display takes a plastic pipe with a fitting that holds an array of stars pasted to plastic strips. It was no problem to purchase the plastic pipes, and we unquestioningly ordered the starburst arrays. What we hadn't anticipated was the variety in plastic fittings and the difficulty in finding so many of the one particular style we had thought was universal.
Day labor, night labor: Whenever two or more can gather together (and sometimes even alone), the costume-makers work to get the outfits ready. Virgin Islanders returning home for Carnival are readily enlisted, along with anyone else who can contribute. They may find themselves assigned to be shoe spray technicians, starburst array tapers and setters, skirt-fringe gluers or acetate fabric cutters.
And, of course, some of any troupe's most important contributors are the glitterati. These are the creative souls who can spread glue or spray adhesive, then sprinkle glitter without becoming a living, barely-breathing glob of glitter themselves.
It's count-down time, and work for most troupes is approaching fever pitch. Will we have our costumes ready? On Saturday, May 6, see for yourselves, on Kronprindsens Gade, Dronningens Gade, Norre Gade and Hospital Gade. We be ready for jammin'.

Likening the V.I. government’s problem-plagued sewer system on St. Croix to a "gaping wound," a federal judge Friday again threatened contempt-of-court charges against administration officials if massive sewage discharges aren’t stopped.
As part of a draft order that sets out deadlines for the Public Works Department to fix the waste water system, District Court Judge Thomas Moore said that he has "simply had enough" of the myriad of problems, including government inaction and ongoing discharges of 1.7 million gallons of raw sewage a day into the Caribbean Sea.
Once deadlines are agreed upon by Public Works and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Moore said, it will take "extraordinary" circumstances for them to be altered. In a memorandum Friday, Moore echoed what he had said earlier in the week after personally observing sewage flowing into the sea from a Public Works pump station: Stop it or else.
The failure of the government to comply with the deadlines "will result in contempt hearings before this court, with incarceration as a possible penalty for the appropriate officials whose actions or lack of action are found to have impeded the progress of these critical repairs," Moore wrote.
Many of the problems with the territory’s waste water system date back to 1984, when the local and federal governments entered into a consent decree. In 1996, when problems were again addressed, the consent decree was amended. But because of the ongoing illegal discharges on St. Croix, Moore issued yet another order this past February setting specific dates for Public Works to make repairs.
For the most part, those dates were missed. Continuing problems at the Figtree pump station just east of the Hovensa refinery are allowing millions of gallons of raw sewage a day to be discharged into the sea.
Moore acknowledged Gov. Charles Turnbull’s recent emergency declaration aimed at speeding repairs to the waste water system and Public Works Commissioner Harold Thompson’s difficulties in securing funding as factors in dealing with the problems. But, he said, a "Band-Aid on the gaping wound that is the St. Croix wastewater treatment system is not in the best interest of our community."
The judge noted that the Turnbull administration "inherited" a problem not of its making.
"Although the court does not question Commissioner Thompson’s dedication to solving the serious danger these bypasses pose to the health of the citizens of and visitors to the Virgin Islands," he said, "the repeated failure of the government to comply with orders of this court will no longer be tolerated as hundreds of thousands of gallons of raw sewage are illegally discharged daily into the Caribbean Sea."
On Friday, Moore issued an order and a draft order. The order calls for Public Works to, among other things, repair a broken sewer line near East Airport Road and the Melvin Evans Highway by June 1. The break has been sending sewage into a nearby gut and then into the sea since November.
Moore’s February order called for Public Works to hire an independent contractor to operate the waste water treatment plant next to the Anguilla landfill because the facility hasn’t met federal discharge requirements for months. Thompson, however, has said Public Works doesn’t have the money to hire a contractor because the Sewer Fund, comprising user fees and property taxes, is $2 million in the red.
Friday’s order calls for Public Works to identify a source of funding by May 31. While the department has a $2 million bond-funded miscellaneous waste water account to use for capital improvements, that money can’t be used to cover operational expenses, according to Thompson.
Moore has ordered that bypassing of the Figtree pump station be stopped by May 8. He also laid out by which the installation of pumps and other crucial equipment must take place.
In the draft order, Moore set proposed deadlines that either the federal or the local government can agree or disagree with by filing briefs. He has set May 19 as the date for the deadline order.
After that, unless changes are made, the Figtree station must be fully operational with its full complement of pumps, back-up power and other equipment by June 30. By the same date, the LBJ station must have a number of fixes in place, including having all three of its pumps in operation.
Moore also called for a series of repairs to the waste water treatment plant so it can receive and treat inflows, the latest date for these being June 16.
Meanwhile, Thompson said Friday that his department is "moving as quickly as possible to address the problems plaguing" the sewage system. He said the parts needed to repair the Figtree station are expected to arrive from England early next week. Until the repairs are made, he said, the public is asked to "refrain from marine activities in the vicinity of Cane Garden Bay."
Thompson also said that, by using a temporary pump at the LBJ station, sewage discharges over Long Reef have been stopped. Moore, however, noted that during peak hours or during heavy rains, the pump cannot handle flows and some discharges still occur.
Moore said that the plan and its "firm deadlines" will "remedy long-standing systemic flaws" and put into place a system for St. Croix that will comply with the federal Clean Water Act and the consent decree of 1996 — "if properly maintained."
Once final deadlines are agreed upon, he emphasized, he will no longer accept excuses, and failure to comply will result in contempt hearings, with possible penalties ranging from fines to jail terms.
"The court has reluctantly come to this position after concluding that there is no other alternative," Moore wrote. "This case has been pending for 16 years with little or no change in the overall condition of the waste water treatment system, at least on St. Croix.
"The court has simply had enough. The fouling of the Virgin Islands’ beautiful waters from the continual discharge of raw sewage must simply stop, and those responsible for any delay must be held accountable."

Police Department Internal Affairs investigators are still looking into two alleged incidents of officer misconduct on St. Croix.
In the more recent of the cases, an unidentified off-duty officer allegedly pointed his service weapon at the face of Kevin Sealey on Monday, then hit him several times.
Both the Internal Affairs unit and the Criminal Investigations Bureau are looking into the allegations, according to St. Croix Deputy Police Chief Novelle Francis.
Because of the allegations of assault, Francis said, the matter is being "looked at as a criminal matter." He added, "We should be seeing some movement on that in the near future."
Francis said the accused officer has been on leave due to health problems. "As a matter of fact, he’s in the hospital now from injuries sustained in a car accident," the deputy chief said.
In the other case, stemming from an epithet-laced rock- and bottle-throwing incident at the Cormorant Beach Resort on April 9, an Internal Affairs investigation is proceeding to determine whether officers neglected to take action, Francis said.
According to Cormorant president Arthur Mayer, who was hit by a bottle and is white, police responding to the resort manager’s call for assistance greeted the alleged assailants, who were black, with "West Indian handshakes" and did little else. Mayer is claiming that his civil rights were violated because of police inaction.
Francis said Internal Affairs investigators have interviewed witnesses and the officers involved in the matter, but they have yet to file "a determination or recommendation to my office." He added that there is a set timeline for such inquiries to be completed.
The St. Croix internal investigations are taking place concurrently with others on St. Thomas and St. John.
On March 28, an on-duty officer and a motorist were involved in a heated verbal exchange and an alleged physical confrontation on the St. Thomas waterfront. A subsequent investigation by the officer’s superior found that no assault occurred but recommend that the officer be reprimanded.
On March 18, an off-duty officer on St. John reportedly grabbed a resident by the breast, slammed her against a car repeatedly and attempted to cut off her screams by choking her. The alleged assault reportedly took place after the policeman stepped into a dispute between the woman, who works for a rental villa, and a taxi driver over parking. Both of the incidents are also under investigation by the FBI for alleged civil rights violations.
Francis said the spate of allegations of abuse by police officers "is out of the norm" and could be a "trickle-down" effect that police departments face nationwide.
He noted that the Police Department does not have a pychological support program for its officers.

The Water and Power Authority took out a $10 million loan Friday to fund the installation of underground electric lines to the hospitals and airports on St. Croix and St. Thomas, according to WAPA assistant executive director Glenn Rothgeb.
Both a top official of the company intending to buy majority interest in the utility and the governor's top economic advisor indicated that move the came as a surprise to them.
The action followed WAPA board approval Thursday for the utility to access a $20 million line of credit with Banco Popular and Chase Manhattan Bank and extend it for three years.
Rothgeb said the cable burying and utilization of the line of credit are part of ongoing development plans. The decision should not affect the government's plans to sell 80 percent of the utility to Southern Energy Inc., he said.
WAPA is assuming the new debt four months after the Turnbull administration agreed to sell the 80 per cent interest to the Georgia-based company for $105 million and cancellation of the government's $24 million in past-due electric bills, the latter a figure in dispute.
When informed of WAPA's decision to increase its debt by $10 million, Southern Energy spokesman Chuck Griffin said, "It is our understanding that WAPA is not supposed to be making any big changes or taking on any large capital expenditures."
Other informed sources said that under the government's agreement with the company — an agreement that Government House has not yet sent to the Legislature, which must approve it — WAPA may not incur new debt before the sale.
Rudolph Krigger Sr., assistant to the governor for fiscal and economic affairs, said he had not been informed of WAPA's decision and "it would be premature for me to comment."
Rothgeb said WAPA was forced to take on the new debt because of a lack of capital due to the government and other customers having failed to pay long-standing bills. "It is the cash shortfall due to the government owing us a substantial amount of money," Rothgeb said. "That is about $24 million. Right now, we are cash-strapped."

The Water and Power Authority took out a $10 million loan Friday to fund the installation of underground electric lines to the hospitals and airports on St. Croix and St. Thomas, according to WAPA assistant executive director Glenn Rothgeb.
Both a top official of the company intending to buy majority interest in the utility and the governor's top economic advisor indicated that the move came as a surprise to them.
The action followed WAPA board approval Thursday for the utility to access a $20 million line of credit with Banco Popular and Chase Manhattan Bank and extend it for three years.
Rothgeb said the cable burying and utilization of the line of credit are part of ongoing development plans. The decision should not affect the government's plans to sell 80 percent of the utility to Southern Energy Inc., he said.
WAPA is assuming the new debt four months after the Turnbull administration agreed to sell the 80 per cent interest to the Georgia-based company for $105 million and cancellation of the government's $24 million in past-due electric bills, the latter a figure in dispute.
When informed of WAPA's decision to increase its debt by $10 million, Southern Energy spokesman Chuck Griffin said, "It is our understanding that WAPA is not supposed to be making any big changes or taking on any large capital expenditures."
Other informed sources said that under the government's agreement with the company — an agreement that Government House has not yet sent to the Legislature, which must approve it — WAPA may not incur new debt before the sale.
Rudolph Krigger Sr., assistant to the governor for fiscal and economic affairs, said he had not been informed of WAPA's decision and "it would be premature for me to comment."
Rothgeb said WAPA was forced to take on the new debt because of a lack of capital due to the government and other customers having failed to pay long-standing bills. "It is the cash shortfall due to the government owing us a substantial amount of money," Rothgeb said. "That is about $24 million. Right now, we are cash-strapped."

Candidates for this year's election can make announcements of their candidacy, but cannot formally file for a petition until July 9, John Abramson, supervisor of elections, said Friday.
"A public announcement is not a formal filing," he said.
On July 9, candidates for district offices can get their petitions and begin collecting signatures. For a candidate running for a party office, 25 signatures are required. An independent candidate must get 50 signatures, Abramson said.
Candidates have from noon Aug. 1 until 5 p.m. Aug. 8 to file the petitions.
Asked how many candidates he expected to file, Abramson laughed. "I have no idea," he said. "We really don't speculate until 5 p.m. on Aug. 8."
Earlier this week, American Federation of Teachers President Glen Smith announced his candidacy for a seat on the 24th Legislature, according to media reports. This was the first senatorial announcement.

With pledges still coming in at its annual meeting, the United Way of St. Thomas-St. John membership got the good news that the organization had met its 1999 fund-raising goal of $500,000.
Campaign chair Averricia Williams kept count as last-minute contributions and an additional pledge from MSI Building Supplies made the goal a reality. As a result, the 16 United Way member agencies will receive allocations totaling at least $375,000 during the year 2000.
The agencies are the American Red Cross St. Thomas-St. John Chapter, Boy Scouts of America V.I. Council, Catholic Charities of the Virgin Islands, Civil Air Patrol, Dial-A-Ride St. John, Dial-A-Ride St. Thomas, Downstreet People's Youth in Action, Ebenezer Gardens, Fair Haven Camp, Friends of Volunteers in Public Schools, Girl Scout Council, Legal Services of the Virgin Islands, Lutheran Reformation Summer Program, St. Thomas Reformed Church Summer Program, Shaky Acres, and Victim Advocate Program.
Election of officers and directors also took place at the annual meeting, held on March 31 at L'Escargot restaurant. S.L. Caesar, Vitelco systems analyst, will succeed Yanick Bayard, Sea Chest partner, as president. The other officers for 2000 are:
Vice president, Susan Laura Lugo, certified legal assistant, Dudley, Topper & Feuerzeig
Treasurer, Katherine Gibson, CPA
Secretary, Terri Brown, partner, Mock LeBlanc Brown.
Elected to three-year terms on the board of directors were: Loren Abramson, Legislature office manager on St. John; Kevin Bailey, vice president, Bailey & Sons; Scott Barber, president, Universal Business Supplies; Errnin Boschulte, administrator, Human Services Department Financial Programs Division; Gibson; Raymond Green, vice president/operations manager, Banco Popular; Rosalie Javois, president, Hurotan Associates; Andrea Martin, general manager, St. Thomas-St. John Cable TV; Joseph Toussaint, food and beverage manager, Sapphire Beach Resort and Marina; and Comel Williams, chief financial officer, Lockhart Caribbean Corp.

Dear Source,
Let's see, could hotel number two be in the Virgin Islands?
Repeat guests are what we should be looking for in this, the largest, income producing sector of our economy. It takes more than sun, sea and sand. Add soul to the mix. It is a shame because as a native of St. Thomas, I know of just the opposite. This however does not occur enough. Why? A few ideas…
1. We must own or have a larger stake in the tourism industry. Reap the rewards for your efforts or the faults, then try to make it better.
Please read " Raving Fans " by Ken Blanchard.
2. Learn new skills and training from here or abroad. You are never too young or too old to learn.
3. Realize that the actions you take towards our visitors today are a reflection on all of us in this industry, good or bad. Let's hear more good!
Not bad for a "pop quiz" Mr. Schneiger. Now lets get a more than a passing grade.
Jason Budsan
"the candle man"
Editor's note: To read op-ed piece on hotel quiz click here.

St. Croix's Xpress Band repeated as V.I. Carnival 2000 Brass-O-Rama champions Thursday night in a three-way competition at the Lionel Roberts Stadium.
The slim field of four competitors scheduled to perform was narrowed to three when Positive Image Combo pulled out, citing problems with its horn section and arranger. That left the 1999 champions up against two school groups making their first appearance in the event — bands from Central High on St. Croix and Addelita Cancryn Junior High on St. Thomas.
Each band played two pieces — its own arrangement of the required test tune, "Let the Band Play On" by the Mighty Sparrow, and a selection of its own choosing.
At the end of the night, Xpress was named best brass band, Central High placed second and Cancryn, third. Xpress Band member Juan Harrigan secured the best arranger award.
The Cancryn band led off the competition, appearing on stage in white pants, yellow T- shirts and navy vests. They stepped and swayed to a pulsating calypso rhythm before tearing into the test tune. The young band's first appearance in the competition and its clean sound had supporters on their feet applauding throughout the presentation.
Xpress Band followed, its members coming onstage dressed as astronauts having just returned from space to participate in the Y2K Carnival celebration. They wore white jumpsuits emblazoned with NASA in large blue letters and white caps also bearing the National Aeronautics and Space Administration insignia.
The Central High School band appeared as firefighters, some wearing fire helmets.
There were few people in the audience when the show opened just after 8 p.m., and the crowd reached no more than about 300 by the end of the night. In terms of both attendance and number of bands participating, it was one of the poorest showings at a Brass-O-Rama in recent history, according to some of those present.
Following the competition, Antigua's Burning Flames band came onstage as guest artists to present a 90-minute concert that ended just before 1 a.m.