11th Annual Pig Roast Festival Gets A Rebirth With Younger Leadership, Renewed Focus

ST. CROIX -- The crowds came ready to eat roasted pig. Overwhelmingly Hispanic, residents descended upon the Armapavie Ballpark, located on the Hess Road, where the 11th Annual Lechon (Pig Roast) Festival was held on Saturday. They also came to mingle with other residents as well, those who are not of Hispanic descent but enjoy the colorful culture. It's an aspect of the event that organizers are well aware of, and one they hope to encourage as it works to strengthen ties among members of the community here, a melting pot of people from all around the Caribbean. "The purpose of this event is to maintain the Latin culture that is unique to St. Croix. That's why the festival's committee is actually called Crucian, Latin, Caribbean Pig Roast Festival," said Jose Nieves, president of the fledgling group, who was chosen to lead the team after the original members decided to turn over the organization to a newer generation of leaders. "The event aims to tie-in all our cultures...