Coming up behind a mini-parade making its way down Norre Gade, this year’s Carnival Village honorees, David "Dee Dee Sharp" Dawson and Percival Taylor Sr., cruised into the Fort Christian parking lot hand in hand.
"Get the hell out of the way – we’re here," Taylor said as they hit the pavement.
The crowd waiting for them near the stage laughed, and even before the ribbon was cut, everyone knew this year’s Carnival village was officially open.
In the world of Carnival in the Virgin Islands, Dawson and Taylor are icons. Their first joint venture, the Royal Palm Nightclub, was the "place to be" in the 1970s, but was more famously the birthplace of St. Thomas’s J’Ouvert and the now traditional Brass-O-Rama. Bands brought in for these events still frequent the local Carnival festivities.
"If you saw how it was when the bands came together, it was totally electric, it was pure energy, and Dee Dee Sharp and my dad would have so much fun putting it together," Percival Taylor Jr. told the crowd during Friday’s official village opening ceremonies. "It was a real experience and I hope that his legacy and Dee Dee Sharp’s legacy will continue throughout Carnival."
Along with having their faces painted on most of the booths at this year’s "Royal Palm" Village, Dawson and Taylor also received tributes from friends and family Friday night, along with plaques and gifts of appreciation. Standing alongside Gov. John deJongh Jr., Lt. Gov., Gregory Francis and this year’s Carnival princess and queen, the two men also helped to officially cut the ribbon and welcome the community into Fort Christian.
The village was packed with people, good food, live entertainment and groups of kids eager to get on the rides, like it is every year on opening night.
For many residents and booth owners, this year’s wish was for a less violent Carnival. In past years, the J’Ouvert festivities have been shutdown by gunshots, while the village has played host to several evening fights, but many said Friday that they hope this year will be different.
"Most of the violence starts with our young people, but I know the Police Department has been working to really keep an eye on what is going on here," said Christopher Caraballo, owner of Booth 24, which features Spanish cuisine. "When violence happens, a lot of people say they don’t want to go to the village, but I hope everything will be good this year."
Speaking during the opening ceremonies, former UVI President Laverne Ragster said everyone in the community can choose to step away from violence. Ragster told the crowd to remember that "peace is up to us," invoking the theme of the Rotary Practice Peace Initiative, which she helped organize along with V.I. Source Publisher Shaun Pennington,
"So let’s make this the best and most safe Carnival," Ragster said. "If we allow violence to happen during our Carnival, it hurts our community."
Many in the crowd said they were thinking less of the potential for violence and more about catching up with old friends and figuring out which booth had the best food or the tastiest mixed drink.
"My customers always give me so much support, that’s why I’ve kept coming back for the past 16 years," Caraballo said later. "It’s a lot of fun and there are a lot of good people, and everyone that comes to me says I have the best Spanish food. My customers always come and look for me and I know that anyone else that tries what we have will do the same thing."
Other booth owners also touted their own specialties. For Mary Modeste, whose "Positive Vibes" booth has been in the village for the past 23 years, that speciality is conch in butter sauce with rice and vegetables. On Food Fair day, the booth will also have crab and rice and Modeste said she is also open every day for breakfast and lunch.
"We love serving people, we love interacting with them," Modeste said. "This is the time of year where we really enjoy ourselves and have fun being a part of our community."
Meanwhile, at booth 25, "Set the Trend" owner Akimo Martin has been cooking up seafood and vegetarian dishes, along with desserts, for the past five years.
"The food is good and of course people come for their funnel cake, their cheesecake and veggie specials, but really our speciality is customer service," Martin said. "We love to be here, we love the people, and hopefully everything will turn out good, with everyone behaving themselves."
Martin said his booth is debuting an Absolut jello shot that he said is sure to have customers talking.
With many of the booths serving alcohol so close to the Children’s Village, WTJX Channel 12 Executive Director Osbert Potter told the crowd Friday his staff will spend time this Carnival season educating everyone from parents to booth owners about the dangers of underage drinking and serving alcohol to minors.
Potter said the station developed the program using grant money from the Law Enforcement Planning Commission.
"We want everyone to understand that alcohol and teenagers don’t mix," Potter said. "We’ll be doing different activities and we’re working to get parents and children to actually sign pledge cards saying that they will not get involved in drinking during Carnival."
Carnival Committee members also announced this year’s booth winners:
Winner: Booth 16, Irvin Wilson
First Runner Up: Booth 1, Neville Amey
Second Runner Up: Booth 5, Isme Frett
