Holiday schedule
Because of the coming holiday season, next week’s Beacon (the one that will be published on Thursday, Dec. 19) will be the last print edition of 2024. After the holiday break, advertising and editorial deadlines will return to normal for the first print edition of the New Year, which will be published on Thursday, Jan. 9. Regular news updates will continue through the holidays at bvibeacon.com, but advertisers who need to be in print should act quickly to be sure they don’t miss next week’s deadline — and special holiday deals.
Champion stakes
United Kingdom Labour politician Dame Margaret Hodge has long had a very keen, and critical, interest in the Virgin Islands — and, more precisely, how it makes its money. The dame was upgraded to a baroness recently by British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer when he gave her a seat in the (unelected) upper chamber of the UK Parliament, the House of Lords (even though she’s a lady). Now the newish Labour PM has gone further and given the dame/baroness (take your pick) a new title as well: Britain’s official “Anti-Corruption Champion.” A curious title for a (potentially) influential job. It is yet unclear what powers the dame/baroness/champion will wield. But given the veteran politician’s criticism of how the money goes around in Nature’s Little Secrets, a Beaconite suspects the VI will be hearing a lot more from Baroness Hodge of Barking (Barking being her former parliamentary constituency in east London, where she faced down and fought off a surge by the far right). Will her bite be worse than her bark? The territory will soon find out.
Melting pot
One of the things a Beaconite enjoys about the Virgin Islands is the mix of different nationalities in the local community. It is sort of like a “melting pot,” if you will. One of the best ways to share cultures is through food, and residents always seem happy to share. “It smells like home,” one South African woman said recently after sniffing a bag of biltong, a jerky-like cured meat from South Africa. Whether it’s visiting a restaurant that serves traditional dishes or eating a meal cooked by a friend, a Beaconite always enjoys tasting the dishes from around the world right here in the VI. When attending the Friday launch of the BVI Food Fete, where the BVI Tourist Board announced the events for the upcoming year, the reporter enjoyed some delicious traditional VI dishes. One of her favourite was the salt fish with johnnycake. Food is part of culture. And partaking in a shared meal is one of the simple joys in life, the reporter believes. Not only that, but it helps keep culture alive.
After deadline
A bit of new information about the Anegada Lobster Festival came in after last week’s deadline. An estimated 1,300 people attended this year’s festival, according to organiser Dirk Walters. More than 300 came on Saturday, Nov. 30, and more than 1,000 arrived the following day, he added. Sunday tends to be the busier day, with some calling it the “party day.” Arrival estimates were derived from the BVI Ports Authority and the flight companies, according to BVI Tourist Board Events Coordinator Yohance Smith. While the attendance numbers were not as high as in previous years, the festival did set a record for the number of participating restaurants. With a total of 13 taking part — each providing at least one lobster sampler — attendees seemed to have had a good time eating, drinking and socialising. It was a Beaconite’s first time attending the festival, and like many other attendees she plans to return next year. This time around, she was able to visit only four participating restaurants; next year, she hopes she can make it to more.