ST. THOMAS — Governor Albert Bryan on Monday thanked residents for kickstarting a safe, incident-free Carnival 2019 on St. Thomas, Government House has announced.
Mr. Bryan, Lt. Governor Tregenza Roach and other local officials ceremoniously opened the Carnival Village on Friday themed ‘Coggie’s Musical Ville.’
“I would like to thank the V.I.P.D., emergency responders and other support organizations for ensuring that we had an incident-free weekend,” the governor said, according to Government House. “With the Department of Tourism hosting a film crew on St. Thomas to capture the island’s carnival experience, keeping our annual celebration safe and hitch free will encourage visitors to return and provide a necessary boost the territory’s tourism product.”
Mr. Bryan is encouraging residents to attend events like the Food, Arts and Crafts Fair, set for Wednesday and the Children’s Parade on St. Thomas this Friday. Government House said this year’s carnival in St. Thomas will be front and center for the world to experience, as such, the territory’s leader encouraged party-goers and revelers to have a safe and responsible carnival season.
During the opening ceremony Friday, Mr. Bryan expressed his love for the season.
“I’m one of those people who don’t feel the Christmas spirit until Christmas Eve day. But tonight I feel the carnival spirit,” he said. The governor made known that there were two dealbreakers when he contemplated running for governor: “I wouldn’t be able to go down the street and play mas in St. Thomas and St. Croix’s carnival. The second one was that I wouldn’t be able to be the bartender in the Carnival Kaleidoscope J’ouvert Troupe.”
“Seriously, such a wave of nostalgia has hit me while sitting here because it just brought back all the memories of carnival for me,” Mr. Bryan added. He reminisced on his grandmother sewing his carnival attire, and his dad and other men running a booth in the carnival village.”
The chief executive described carnival as a time of full enjoyment, “totally letting go,” he said.
The governor went on to thank the Carnival Committee for what he said was the organization’s hard work over the years to put on carnival events. And he encouraged residents and visitors alike to participate in the festivities, while steering clear of areas known to be dangerous.
Mr. Bryan on Thursday announced administrative leave for non-essential government employees, a traditional move that Mr. Bryan said was to “encourage greater participation in the Food Fair and to enhance the celebration of the Virgin Islands Carnival for all residents and visitors.”
Leave for non-essential employees residing in the St. Thomas-St. John District:
- Wednesday, May 1, 2019 – Food, Arts and Crafts Fair Day – 12:00 p.m. (noon) to 5:00 p.m.
- Thursday, May 2, 2019 – J’ouvert – 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
The governor also granted one administrative day for non-essential government employees territory-wide:
- Friday, May 3, 2019 – Children’s Parade Day 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Michael Coggins, this year’s honoree has shared his talents with thousands of Virgin Islanders and visitors during his career, performing with musical legends like Milo and the Kings for nearly twenty-five years. Mr. Coggins’s love for the trombone saw him set a musical standard and become a cultural ambassador in the U.S. Virgin Islands.
And he excelled in his craft, a feat accomplished, he said, because “playing the trombone has always been my desire; it helps me [to] live without stress.”
Lieutenant Governor Tregenza Roach also shared remarks, stating, “When our ancestors first celebrated the mas, a part of what they celebrated was that we were now in possession of our bodies. That the drums, the music, the culture that had been denied us, we were embracing it and celebrating.”
Feature Image: Governor Bryan at St. Thomas Carnival Village opening on Friday. Image courtesy VI Carnival.
Share On Facebook
Tweet It
