What Coral Bay’s annual Labor Day parade and festivities lacked in size it made up for in spirit.
“Look at all the fun,” Coral Bay resident Nancy Stromp said as she and Jason Hayman rode the parade route on their motorcycle.
The parade was indeed brief – only about four groups of mainly Coral Bay area residents joined forces to ride in the back of pickup trucks or march the route.
Dana Bartlett, who usually participates in the parade with animals from her Carolina Corral, was there with her cart powered by two donkeys.
“To show support,” she said when asked why she came out.
At Coral Bay ballfield, a half dozen or so people were busy selling a variety of food.
Although acclaimed island cook Jane Johannes said she wouldn’t reveal the secret ingredient in her lobster salad, her daughter, Juanita Johannes, said that real lobster was the secret.
“And fresh,” she said.
Alvin Newton was busy frying chickens to go with the fried fish and johnny cakes he had for sale.
“This is traditional,” he said.
Over by the triangle where Route 107 and Route 10 join, Deniece Riehl, Yolanda Morton and Wayne Clendinen were busy selling their wares. Riehl had oil paintings for sale, Morton’s table was filled with a potpourri of cultural items and Clendinen had home-grown foods like local honey for sale.
“The honey comes from multiple varieties of all the wild flowers and fruits from the island,” Clendinen said.
Clendinen and Morton as well as others at the ballfield had lots to say about the need for Coral Bay to get organized so the annual Labor Day parade and celebration doesn’t get any smaller.
“The whole activity is going flat,” Clendinen said.
Alvis Christian, helping son Alvis Christian Jr. and others organize a pig roast to benefit John’s Folly Learning Center, suggested that Coral Bay form a subcommittee of the St. John Festival and Cultural Organization to get the ball rolling. The Festival and Cultural Organization has responsibility for the Coral Bay event, but chairwoman Leona Smith said earlier that there is no government funding to help make it happen.
Enid Doway, who serves on the Festival committee, agreed that the parade and festivities are dwindling.
“I’ve been doing it since I was a child, and that was many, many moons ago,” she said.
At issue for some is the matter of transportation. Christian had asked Public Works Commissioner Darryl Smalls to run the VITRAN bus from Cruz Bay to Coral Bay for Labor Day. Usually, the bus shuts down for weekends and holidays.
The bus did run, but Christian said he didn’t get any notice that it would so he couldn’t get the word out. He said it’s likely St. Thomas residents didn’t head to Coral Bay because they didn’t think they’d have transportation. He said a taxi costs at least $15 each way.
Some people from the other islands did make their way to Coral Bay. Delegate to Congress Donna M. Christensen, busy snapping photos with her phone, said she comes every year.
“I love coming,” she said.
And Papacito Dawson made the trip from St. Thomas to celebrate the holiday.
“Some of my best friends are from St. John,” he said.
