USVI-BVI Friendship Day will be celebrated on St. John this year with a mini-parade followed by a short welcome program at the Franklin Powell Park in Cruz Bay.
Gov. John deJongh Jr. and first lady Cecile deJongh will host the celebration of the 39th anniversary of the holiday starting at 9 a.m. Oct. 20, according to a statement from Government House.
“It is always a pleasure to participate in USVI /BVI Friendship Day activities with our neighboring brothers and sisters,” deJongh said in the statement, adding, “These festivities celebrate the close bond between the two territories.”
He said it’s “a platform to showcase our cultural traditions while spending time together with good friends and acquaintances.”
“Cecile and I are delighted to host our BVI counterparts for the first time on the island of St. John,” the governor said.
The public is also invited to attend a cultural presentation at the Annaberg Plantation featuring a dramatic performance by Denise Georges along with a series of “how-to” demonstrations by local artisans. Demonstrations will include broom making, fish net making, baking dumb bread and creating other edible local delicacies such as sugar cake. Entertainment will be provided by the Mungo Niles Dancers and music by Smalls and the Music Makers.
This year’s theme is “Celebrating Our Roots, Heritage and Culture.”
In the Government House statement, USVI-BVI Friendship Day Committee Chairman Raul Carrillo said the theme revisits the shared past that exists within the two territories. “We look forward to celebrating our joint history, culture and people, and we are very excited to be doing all of that for the very first time on the island of St. John,” he said.
“And more particularly at the Annaberg Plantation,” he added, “a location whose sheer existence is on the cusp of both territories, not only physically but historically.”
For more information, contact Carrillo at 693-4354 or St. Thomas-Water Island Administrator Barbara Petersen at 693-4342.
Those interested in participating or volunteering should contact Armecia Martin at 693-4381.
