St. Thomas Real Estate Trends

St. Thomas Carnival - an annual celebration steeped in Virgin Islands tradition and culture - spans a three-week period beginning on April 12 with the Prince and Princess Show and ending May 2 with the Adults' Parade, fireworks, and Last Lap.

The 2009 winning theme was submitted by Monica Rabsatt, and "Echoes Through Time" will be packed with entertainment, Carnival officials said. About two dozen events appear on the schedule including musical entertainment, calypso competitions, traditional games, family events, cultural fairs, parades and pageants.

Carnival is a catalyst that brings the entire community together, and this year's events will be great, Caswil Callender, the committee's executive director, said at a press conference on Wednesday.

Committee officials announced that the Carnival Village this year will be "Chummy's Carnival Kitchen," in honor of Rosalind "Chummy" Titley, who has been a booth owner in the village for many years.

The Cultural Fair will also be named "Marie's Local Delights" after longtime vendor Marie David.

Wayne Dawson will be the marshal of the Children's Parade and Sen. Shawn-Michael Malone will be the marshal of the Adults' Parade.

The committee receives financial assistance from the government each year to help fund the festivities and also heavily relies upon sponsorships to put on the weeks-long Carnival.

This year, the government has appropriated $550,000 to fund events, with $300,000 coming from from the Tourism Advertisement Revolving Fund, and $250,000 from the General Fund.

Last year, the committee received $600,000 from the government, Callender said.

While public funds are critical, Callender said that the committee still needs about $500,000 more to meet all expenses.

Callender said that the economic downturn has severely cut its sponsorship from the private sector this year.

St. Thomas Carnival injects millions of dollars into the territory's economy each year and the business community needs to help out because they are beneficiaries of the economic boost, he said.

"We cannot accomplish our goal without the support of the business community," Callender said, adding that if enough funds are not collected, the committee will end up in the red.