Beacon schedule

The Beacon won’t publish next week because of the August Emancipation Festival holiday, and the office will be closed Monday through Wednesday. Normal office hours resume next Thursday, and advertising and editorial deadlines will return to normal for the Aug. 17, 2017 edition. In the meantime, check the Beacon’s website and social media pages for regular updates on the celebrations. Beaconites wish everyone a happy Festival!

Parade safety

The August Monday Parade is just around the corner. A Beaconite has attended for the past 11 years and therefore has just enough tips to offer newbies. First of all, stay hydrated. Simply put, the heat in recent days has been close to furnace levels. Luckily, most trucks and troupes offer cold water. Don’t be shy: Grab as many of the freebies as possible. It’s Festival, after all! Secondly, the parade is going to be colourful, and most participants are friendly enough to dance with onlookers. Get ready to dance! The Beaconite plans on having a good time while photographing the event and hopes other residents enjoy it too.

Alien life form?

A Beaconite noticed someone on a St. Thomas-centred Facebook group recently posted an image of this bug on the page’s wall, accompanied by a hilarious — and profanity-laced — message that ended with the plea, “HELP!!” While the Beaconite has seen his fair share of creepy crawlers since moving to the Virgin Islands, he’s thankful not to have yet run into the likes of this one, which Facebook commenters and a Google search revealed was a tailless whip scorpion. Though the Beaconite’s research also revealed that the bug is harmless, he remains convinced that seeing the thing unexpectedly dash out of a cupboard may cause some long-term psychological damage.

Mango lessons

Some may be shocked and horrified to learn that a Beaconite has enjoyed countless mango smoothies, pieces of mango in fruit salads, and many other mango-flavoured food products, but had never cut an actual mango until this week. A fellow Beaconite kindly picked one of the fruits from outside her home and brought it into the office for a full-fledged tutorial. Now, not only does the non-fruit-savvy Beaconite know how to squeeze a mango at peek ripeness instead of cutting it, she is also having delusions of grandeur about starting a cooking YouTube series. More likely, she will ask the aforementioned Beaconite to bring in as many local fruits as possible and eat them off-screen. In the future, the Beaconite plans to explore other types of food that exist in nature and not just on grocery store shelves. And if any Tortola residents grow their own particularly delicious grafted mangoes, please do not hesitate to bring one by the Beacon office.

Mini staycation

This week a pair of Beaconites took a trip out to Norman Island. A short ferry ride from Nanny Cay delivered them straight to the Pirates Bight restaurant on the stunning beach at The Bight. They were astounded at the range of activities available on such a small island and jumped straight in. After sampling some delicious food and cocktails, they sunbathed and swam in the crystal clear water. An easy 15-minute hike then took them to the top of the central peak — the location of the island’s helipad — and breathtaking views of secluded bays. With just over an hour to kill, they rented a kayak and paddled out to the infamous anchored bar boat Willy T, where they joined holidaymakers in leaping from the top. The Beaconites plan to return to the island soon to snorkel, visit the caves and hike more tracks and trails. They recommend the trip to anyone in the Virgin Islands in need of a staycation.

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