St. John USVI promoting Community through Gardens

While many gardeners in northern U.S are starting to harvest the bounty of their summer gardens...here on St. John, USVI a wonderful new project is just coming into bloom. St. John Community Foundation has just completed the first phase of their Community Garden located on 2.5 acres on Gifft Hill.

According to the St. John Tradewinds 8.2.12 http://www.stjohntradewindsnews.com, the garden is open to volunteers looking to work with other community members in maintaining the various areas of the garden. Currently there are paths and newly-planted trees to enjoy and future plans include a butterfly garden, an herb garden, and a bush tea garden.

To learn more about the Community Garden as well as the proposed Arts & Cultural Community Center which would be a place of history, culture and art, check out the St. John Community Foundation website http://www.sjcf.org/.

St. John Takes Part in the 2012 Summer Olympics

Mimi Roller competes in Laser sailing 

All St. Johnians and hopefully many around the world will be poised in front of their TVs watching the 2012 SUMMER OLYMPICS taking place in London, England which opens this Friday, July 27.  You can learn about the 45 year history of participants from St. John, St. Thomas, and St. Croix, USVI on the website http://www.virginislandsolympics.org/.

Of special interest to all who know and love St. John, is the Laser sailboat competitor, Mimi Roller.  Mimi is one of the 7 athletes that are representing the U.S. Virgin Islands and she got her start in sailing right here in Coral Bay with the local sailing non profit organization called KATS (Kids And The Sea) which introduces local children to the fun of sailing their own boat.  We wish all the best to Mimi and will be cheering for all our local athletes as they compete in the next two weeks!

Peace and Solitude at Sundown, Trunk Bay Beach , St. John, USVI

July brings warm waters and fewer people to the island, where you can stroll and feel relaxation wash over you as the sun goes down at beautiful Trunk Bay Beach.

St. John Hiking to Annaberg Sugar Mill

It's not only the white-sand beaches that make St. John such a great place to explore, but it's the history you find as you venture out on your St. John vacation.

Established in 1718, Annaberg Sugar Plantation is one of twenty-five sugar plantations that were once active on St. John. The plantation produced molasses and rum in addition to sugar and for the majority of its life the plantation was run by slave labor. In July 1848 freedom was declared for the Danish West Indies Slaves.

You can tour the historic ruins any time and read about the difficult lives of the slaves at that time. More photos and info are available at http://preservationinpink.wordpress.com/2012/03/09/annaberg-sugar-mill-plantation-ruins/.

St John USVI Carnival Parade

A beautiful, cool day for the parade here in Cruz Bay. Energy and high spirits, community and creativity are all coming together to make a fabulous cultural event! Happy 4th of July folks!!

Lauren & Bo Bring Music to St. John Year Round

Lauren and Bo perform music on St. John www.larenandbo.com

Many visitors prefer the quieter summer season for their St. John vacations so they can often find empty beaches and even find parking spaces in Cruz Bay.  Though there are fewer people on island, there are still incredible choices of music between Cruz Bay and Coral Bay.  One recognizable duo is Lauren and Bo with their wide variety of folk, reggae, and rock and roll….all sung with perfectly blended voices accompanied by Bo’s guitar rhythms.

You can listen to Lauren and Bo’s music throughout the week depending on which end of the island you on….if you are in Cruz Bay you have a choice of Wed (Sun Dog Café), Fri (Morgan’s Mango) or Sat (Rhumb Lines).  And if you live in Coral Bay you can hear them each Sunday night at Aqua Bistro.  For samples of their music, click on the website http://www.laurenandbo.com/home.cfm  and you’ll be sure to venture out to one of St. John’s restaurants to hear them in person.

BVI History off the shores of St. John USVI

You don't have to travel far to experience a piece of history at one of the most popular British Virgin Islands. Jost Van Dykes Preservation Society http://jvdps.org is in the midst of a project that most visitors may not have seen as they sail into Great Harbor or stop for a drink at Foxy's.

The nonprofit Preservation Society based on Jost is building a 32 foot wooden sailing vessel, whose design is based on the “Tortola Boats” unique to the Virgin Islands. The program encourages school children to participate and learn more about sailing and scuba while they sail in the newly built boat which will house the program. The overall goal is to increase greater awareness and understanding of small island ecosystems and related marine issues.