Community

When a Beaconite moved to Tortola, she had no idea how many individual communities, each with its own distinct identity, were tucked into an island of only about 21 square miles. In those early days, she received a fair amount of advice about which village was best, and there were always ranging answers. Since then, she’s lived in many different areas (thank you, Hurricane Irma) — sometimes for just a month or two, other times for longer — including Horse Path, Havers, Luck Hill, Carrot Bay and now Apple Bay. Each community has its own landmarks (a permanently broken-down car here, an unnamed convenience store there); its own network of residents; and its own challenges (some have patchier internet, others have frequent water shortages). A reporter appreciates the neighbourhoods that residents have carved out and made into homes, and the stories that go along with those places. Every time she moves, she’s reminded that there are many communities she knows next to nothing about only a few miles down the road, and is lucky to get the chance to know them.

 

Farmers’ market

A Beaconite was surprised to learn recently that the Farmers’ Market had been abruptly moved from Sir Olva Georges Plaza after it seemed to have been established there on a somewhat permanent basis. Like any good reporter, she attempted to find out why, but soon found herself lost in a quagmire of finger pointing and blame gaming, unable to get to the bottom of it. Everybody wanted to blame “the other guys,” but nobody wanted to go on the record as blaming “the other guys.” And certainly “the other guys” weren’t going to step forward themselves. She sees this us-versus-them mentality too often in the Virgin Islands, and it seemed especially pointless when it came to the Farmers Market, a non-controversial event that it seems everyone, no matter their background, would be able to support. However, all the recriminations made her less than hopeful that the market would return to the plaza, which she believes is its perfect home, being the territory’s traditional market square. So she was delighted to hear that the parties involved — whoever they were — apparently were able to reach a reconciliation, and that the market is once again located in the heart or Road Town for all to enjoy. That wasn’t so hard, was it?

 

First Fridays

A Beaconite has now attended two of D’Best Cup’s “First Friday” events in Road Town and highly recommends them to readers. The evenings, organised by Chef Mike Bogans, feature a slew of poets, singers, rappers and musicians. Though the events have scheduled acts — including consistent musical support from the 3Peace Band — they also have plenty of allotted time for impromptu contributors, and many of the performances blend together into improvised, celebratory sets that offer any interested listener a chance to participate. The Beaconite has so far chosen to stick to an entirely observational role each evening but still has had a blast eating quality food and witnessing the territory’s diverse corps of talented performers. As the title suggests, the events happen on the first Friday of every month, typically from 5-8 p.m.

 

Busted door

A Beaconite loves going to the law library, which, like the Attorney General’s Chambers and the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, is housed in the Alvin Christopher Building in Road Town. The library’s staff members are always extremely friendly and helpful in guiding the Beaconite to laws of relevance to his reporting. However, as he attempted to pull the building’s glass door closed behind him on a recent visit, the door handle came off in his hand, and he realised it was attached by duct tape. On taking a closer look, he also noticed that the door was cracked and probably unsafe. More than a year after Hurricane Irma, it is time to fix such issues in government offices. He hopes the door will be replaced soon before someone gets hurt.