The St. George Village Botanical Garden will have a grand re-opening of their gift shop 11 a.m. until 5 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 3.
Refreshments will be served.
Please call 692-2874 for more information.

Christmas Spoken Here, an annual St. Croix Christmas season event for 30 years, will be held from 11 a.m. until 4 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 10 at the St. George Village Botanical Garden.
Craft and food vendors will be selling their wares and there will be a bake sale.
Twenty decorated Christmas trees, auctioned off to the highest bidder at the Festival of Trees, will be on display and four local choirs will be on hand, The Country Day School Choir, Good Hope Choir, UVI Choir, and the Educational Complex Choir.
Vistitors may also shop in the newly re-opened gift shop.
For more information call 693-2874.

The Festival of Lights will open from 6 to 8:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 8 at St. George Village Botanical Garden.
Christmas in St. Croix means the Festival of Lights and according to Phyllis Charles, spokesperson for the St. George Botanical Garden, this year's festival should be as beautiful as ever.
This year's theme is the Twelve Crucian Days of Christmas.
Light displays will be built around this theme, along with some extras like an egret in a palm tree and eight crabs a running.
Admission is $5 per carload.
The Festival of Lights will be open each evening from 6 – 8:30 p.m. Dec. 8 to the end of December.
Call 692-2874 for more information.

Two dozen St. Croix Cable TV employees were locked out of their company’s shiny new building Tuesday, apparently because they wouldn’t abide by their boss’s order that they join a particular labor union.
According to the turned-away workers, they tried to report to work but were met by employees of Innovative Communication Corp., which is owned by Jeffrey Prosser, who said they wouldn’t be allowed on company property unless they signed up as members of the local United Steelworkers of America.
In a unanimous vote in September 1999, the 24 St. Croix Cable TV employees chose to join a new organization on St. Croix, the Our Virgin Islands Labor Union.
The employees, who hold installation, technical, maintenance, clerical and customer positions, voted to become members of the OVILU rather than the United Steelworkers of America. OVILU was certified as a bargaining unit by the National Labor Relations Board the previous May.
And that, apparently, is the problem. According to ICC, the company that owns Vitelco; St. Croix Cable TV; St. Thomas-St. John Cable TV; Vitelcellular and Vitelcom, has consolidated operations on St. Croix into a new building in the Sunny Isle area. According to an ICC statement, employees of Vitelco’s sister companies were cross-trained and "are now part of the Vitelco family."
A family in which workers have been represented by the United Steelworkers Union for the past 27 years.
"All employees whose job functions are part of the merger are now represented by the Steelworkers of America," the ICC statement said. "Vitelco has a collective bargaining agreement with the United Steel Workers of America that ICC must and will honor."
But NLRB administrative judge and a U.S. District Court judge have recognized OVILU and ordered ICC to bargain with the union as well as transfer workers’ benefits to its members.
Terrence Nelson, OVILU president, said ICC’s actions on Tuesday show the company is acting in bad faith. He said the company broke off negotiations in mid-October and has failed to comply with the NLRB’s ruling.
"This will lead us into new legal action…," Nelson said. "We’re going to fight this to the end. It’s wrong. They are favoring one union. It’s an unfair labor practice."
Nelson said employees were told they have until Wednesday afternoon to sign up with the United Steelworkers Union. He said that an ICC lawyer told him if they don’t they won’t be fired, they’ll just be locked out and not paid.
Ricky Brown, a Cable TV customer service representative, said he and his colleagues understand the company must consolidate to survive. But he said the company is denying interfering with his right to organize.
"The company is systematically denying our rights," he said. "Our right is to choose our representation. Basically we’ve been violated."
Brown said the 24 Cable TV workers showed up to Tuesday ready to work. Instead they found a hostile environment.
"We’re very displeased. We’re supposed to be negotiating right now. It’s a pattern that has been established," he said. "We came here to work and we’ve been given an ultimatum."
ICC, meanwhile, said it will continue to bargain in good faith with OVILU.
Nelson bills OVILU as progressive and focused on being an internally based financial, social and informational resource to its members and the wider community. Complaints about the United Steelworkers Union is that dues paid are shipped off island and members never see a benefit.

Antilles School will host its annual Holiday Bazaar on Sunday, Dec. 3, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on the schoolgrounds. Various classes, clubs, other school groups and community not-for-profit agencies raise funds trough the sale of fresh evergreen wreaths, classic Christmas stockings, books, plants and flowers, artwork, craft items, cakes, games and toys, and holiday gift items. Visitors can pose for photos with Santa Claus, and food and beverages will be available, too. For details, call 776-1600.

The St. Croix Board of Elections on Tuesday granted Senate candidate Raymond "Usie" Richards’ request for a recount of absentee ballots and a retabulation of votes cast on electronic voting machines.
Usie Richards tied with his cousin, Sen. Vargrave Richards, at 3,936 apiece for the seventh St. Croix Senate seat on election night. After the board counted absentee ballots Saturday, Sen. Richards came away with a slim 25-vote victory.
Board members Tuesday listened to Usie Richards’ concerns and then voted in closed session to recount the absentee ballots on Nov. 26, a Sunday, and Nov. 27, a Monday, to retabulate votes cast at polling places. At the same time, St. Croix Elections Board Chairman Dodson James said the recount would be on Monday and the retabulation Tuesday.
James couldn’t be reached for comment Tuesday evening to clarify when the recount will start.
Usie Richards, who sits on the St. Croix Elections Board and chairs the Joint Boards of Elections, said ballot-counting procedures adopted by the St. Croix board were not followed during Saturday’s absentee ballot count. He also requested a review of all the people who voted by absentee ballots to determine whether they qualify and a re-tabulation of electronic cartridges used in voting machines.
James said a recount and retabulation will be carried out to "keep the integrity" of the board and "clear the air" around the election process.
"I have a tremendous amount of integrity for myself . . . and I want to maintain that," James said earlier in the meeting.
Both the board and Usie Richard said they will investigate the validity of those who voted absentee. If irregularities are discovered, James said the board would turn over their findings to the attorney general.
Usie Richards said if enough absentee voters are found not to qualify, his only recourse would be to challenge the election in court.
"I am strongly suggesting . . . that all applications for absentee ballots be reviewed to determine the validity of the persons voting," Usie Richards said, noting that at least one known felon, whom he declined to name, picked up an absentee ballot at the Elections office.
Usie Richards’ petition for a recount of the absentee ballots stemmed from irregularities during the calling and tallying of votes Saturday.
As for the retabulation of the electronic voting machine cartridges, at least two couldn’t be read by the accompanying computer software so a printout was made of the results. Those were then entered by hand into a computer. Usie Richards requested a retabulation because of the possibility that errors were introduced.
"I haven’t discovered any violations of law or any fraud or mismanagement of electronic cartridges," he said. "All of us are human. Any oversight could have happened, under or over, and that process should be repeated."

The St. Croix Board of Elections on Tuesday granted Senate candidate Raymond "Usie" Richards’ request for a recount of absentee ballots and a retabulation of votes cast on electronic voting machines.
Usie Richards tied with his cousin, Sen. Vargrave Richards, at 3,936 apiece for the seventh St. Croix Senate seat on election night. After the board counted absentee ballots Saturday, Sen. Richards came away with a slim 25-vote victory.
Board members Tuesday listened to Usie Richards’ concerns and then voted in closed session to recount the absentee ballots on Monday and retabulate on Tuesday votes cast at polling places.
Usie Richards, who sits on the St. Croix Elections Board and chairs the Joint Boards of Elections, said ballot-counting procedures adopted by the St. Croix board were not followed during Saturday’s absentee ballot count. He also requested a review of all the people who voted by absentee ballots to determine whether they qualify and a re-tabulation of electronic cartridges used in voting machines.
James said a recount and retabulation will be carried out to "keep the integrity" of the board and "clear the air" around the election process.
"I have a tremendous amount of integrity for myself . . . and I want to maintain that," James said earlier in the meeting.
Both the board and Usie Richard said they will investigate the validity of those who voted absentee. If irregularities are discovered, James said the board would turn over their findings to the attorney general.
Usie Richards said if enough absentee voters are found not to qualify, his only recourse would be to challenge the election in court.
"I am strongly suggesting . . . that all applications for absentee ballots be reviewed to determine the validity of the persons voting," Usie Richards said, noting that at least one known felon, whom he declined to name, picked up an absentee ballot at the Elections office.
Usie Richards’ petition for a recount of the absentee ballots stemmed from irregularities during the calling and tallying of votes Saturday.
As for the retabulation of the electronic voting machine cartridges, at least two couldn’t be read by the accompanying computer software so a printout was made of the results. Those were then entered by hand into a computer. Usie Richards requested a retabulation because of the possibility that errors were introduced.
"I haven’t discovered any violations of law or any fraud or mismanagement of electronic cartridges," he said. "All of us are human. Any oversight could have happened, under or over, and that process should be repeated."

The St. Croix Board of Elections on Tuesday granted Senate candidate Raymond "Usie" Richards’ request for a recount of absentee ballots and a retabulation of votes cast on electronic voting machines.
Usie Richards tied with his cousin, Sen. Vargrave Richards, at 3,936 apiece for the seventh St. Croix Senate seat on election night. After the board counted absentee ballots Saturday, Sen. Richards came away with a slim 25-vote victory.
Board members Tuesday listened to Usie Richards’ concerns and then voted in closed session to recount the absentee ballots on Monday and to retabulate on Tuesday votes cast at polling places.
Usie Richards, who sits on the St. Croix Elections Board and chairs the Joint Boards of Elections, said ballot-counting procedures adopted by the St. Croix board were not followed during Saturday’s absentee ballot count. He also requested a review of all the people who voted by absentee ballots to determine whether they qualify and a re-tabulation of electronic cartridges used in voting machines.
James said a recount and retabulation will be carried out to "keep the integrity" of the board and "clear the air" around the election process.
"I have a tremendous amount of integrity for myself . . . and I want to maintain that," James said earlier in the meeting.
Both the board and Usie Richard said they will investigate the validity of those who voted absentee. If irregularities are discovered, James said the board would turn over their findings to the attorney general.
Usie Richards said if enough absentee voters are found not to qualify, his only recourse would be to challenge the election in court.
"I am strongly suggesting . . . that all applications for absentee ballots be reviewed to determine the validity of the persons voting," Usie Richards said, noting that at least one known felon, whom he declined to name, picked up an absentee ballot at the Elections office.
Usie Richards’ petition for a recount of the absentee ballots stemmed from irregularities during the calling and tallying of votes Saturday.
As for the retabulation of the electronic voting machine cartridges, at least two couldn’t be read by the accompanying computer software so a printout was made of the results. Those were then entered by hand into a computer. Usie Richards requested a retabulation because of the possibility that errors were introduced.
"I haven’t discovered any violations of law or any fraud or mismanagement of electronic cartridges," he said. "All of us are human. Any oversight could have happened, under or over, and that process should be repeated."

Montessori School Las Vegas Night blackjack practices will be held from 7 to 9 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 21; Tuesday, Nov. 28; and Thursday, Nov. 30 at V.I. Gamefishing Club in Red Hook.
Las Vegas Night Master Practice for all volunteers will be Friday, Dec. 1 from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. at the Wyndham Sugar Bay Resort ballroom.
For more information, call Evelyne Nye at 775-6511.

Wistfully pondering her prospects for retirement some fine day, Rhoda Tillett on more than one occasion in recent years has wondered aloud what it would take to keep Arts Alive alive when she was no longer around to do the masterminding, moving and shaking.
This Thanksgiving Day weekend, the community gets to find out.
After 20 years of producing the Tillett Gardens arts and crafts fairs, then later festivals, Tillett handed off the last six weeks' worth of responsibilities for this one after she fell and broke a kneecap while in New York. The person she tapped to take on the task was St. John hot condiments entrepreneur and community activist Cheryl Miller.
When Tillett called asking for help, Miller recalls, "Of course, I said yes." Her rationale was that the job was "something I'd done for three years coordinating the St. John Saturday events." The day-long monthly programs were aimed at attracting shoppers to Cruz Bay via live entertainment, arts and crafts exhibits and special promotions by local shops.
A few days before this weekend's festival, Miller describes putting the event together as "a collaborative effort of the artists, artisans, musicians, Ms. Vivian and Sonny." (The latter references are to Tillett Gardens administrative assistant Vivian Faulkner and the late Jim Tillett's silkscreen protege, Albert "Sonny" Thomas.) Even so, Miller admits, "I just found it overwhelming."
That may be because she was simultaneously running her own business, developing a corporate project with two other specialty artisans, starting a new venture as host of a local cooking show on cable's TV-2, working with culture bearer Dorothy Elskoe on plans for holiday jamborees at Havensight Mall and taking lessons to become a blackjack dealer for the St. Thomas Montessori School's upcoming Las Vegas Night.
In preview, though, what she and the others have put together looks like an arts and crafts festival and sounds like an arts and crafts festival and gives every reason to believe that, with founding mother Rhoda Tillett sidelined, Arts Alive is still very much still alive.
Among the exhibitor displays, visitors will find batiks by Anita de la Cruz, photography by James "Huck" Jordan, sculpture by Edney Freeman, watercolors by Kathleen Treml, screened tiles by Donna Roes, and artwork by Treml's students at Peace Corps School.
Craft exhibits will include teddy bears by Jeanne Webb, crochet work and sweetbreads by Karen Issac, quilting by Suzanne Eastwood, dream-catchers by Lise Swartz, clothing by Nayda Young, placemats by Norah Saunders, bird feeders and glassware by Pam Larson, essential oils by Karen Christiansen, jewelry by Sarah Herrington and by Valerie Horsford, "nature's art" by Monique (who goes just by "Monique"), and hot sauces and jellies by – who else? – Cheryl Miller.
Rosemary Sauter will have Pokeman collectibles, Marilyn Cook will show her Kamani Enterprises wares, and James O. Boyle will represent Red Oak Bear Publishers. In a Christmas mode, Merry Phillips will have original ornaments and Bridgett Julius will display her one-of-a-kind cards. And for youngsters, Susan Harmer of the local Baha'i community will oversee creative children's activities, as will volunteers with at least one other group, according to Miller.
Friday's performing arts attractions include guitarist/vocalist Stevie Legend at 3 p.m. and vocalists Tahra Richardson and Janet Reiter at 4 p.m. Santa (Irvin "Brownie" Brown) Claus is to arrive around 5:30 p.m. as kids and grownups finish trimming the garden's century plant Christmas tree with hand-made decorations created at the festival earlier in the day or brought from home.
Saturday will bring the calypso trio R3 – Russell, Reita and Royal – at 11 a.m., the Eudora Kean High School Quadrille Dancers at 1 p.m., steelpan soloist Morgan Rael at 2 p.m., the Mungo Niles Cultural Dancers at 3 p.m., the jazz ensemble Sax Cymbals at 4 p.m., a "singing and comedy hour" at 5 p.m. and a hot sauce tasting contest at 6 p.m. (For this last one, to compete, show up with your hot sauce entry no later than 3 p.m. and look for Miller.)
Sunday's events are the traditional appearance of the Hugo Moolenaar Mocko Jumbies at 1 p.m., caroling by the Voices of Love at 2 p.m., and a drawing at 3 p.m. for the raffle prize, a gift basket filled by the exhibiting artisans.
The festival corporate and community sponsors are Chase Bank, Heineken, the Virgin Islands Council on the Arts, and Polli's Mexican Restaurant. Located in Tillett Gardens, the restaurant is normally closed on Sundays but will be open all weekend for the festival.
Putting the fest together largely by phone, fax and e-mail from St. John, Miller says, she was gratified by the cooperation she got from "the talented people who have stepped forth and said they would help in little ways" on St. Thomas. "It's a larger community than St. John, but it's just as much family," she says.
Meanwhile, Tillett, recuperating with family in Raleigh, North Carolina, says she did "absolutely not" try to micromanage from afar, and she thinks Miller has done a fine job. At the same time, she says, "it feels strange" to be so far removed from the action, and she's anxious to get home. If her doctor gives the go-ahead, she'll fly back on Nov. 30 – to arrive on St. Thomas on the eve of the Bill Sims Blues Band performance on Dec. 1 that kicks off the season's non-classical Tillett Garden Series concerts.
Candle and herbal products entrepreneur Jason Budsan, a Tillett Gardens tenant and longtime exhibitor, says he's looking forward to Tillett's return "just for the enthusiasm" that she conveys in the complex and in the community. While she continues her recuperation, he suggests, "She doesn't have to do anything. Just her being here makes the difference."
But even without her, the festival will go on.
Hours are 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 10 to 5 on Sunday. Admission is free, and so is the live entertainment. What you spend will depend on what you buy, from nothing at all to original art that could conceivably take you into four figures. Raffle tickets are $3 apiece, or two for $5. And a ballot to vote in the hot sauce tasting contest will cost you $2.
To learn more, phone (340) 775-1929, fax to 775-9482 or e-mail to tillett@islands.vi.