The Friends of the Virgin Islands National Park released a schedule of almost 30 workshops, hikes, boat trips, and craft classes for the winter season. The first event, January 9, will feature Guy Benjamin and some of his childhood friends reminiscing about growing up on island with some of his childhood friends from the early 1900s, when only a couple hundred homes existed on St. John and donkeys were still the mode of transportation.
The final event of the season, April 18, will feature a a tour of eco-friendly island homes. It will be led by Rob Crane, one of the founders of Island Green Building Association.
The schedule also includes classes and instructions on working with pastels, making spirit dolls and a surefire-favorite, “Traditional West Indian Beverages. The description of that class reads, “With the help of Joyce Sprauve, local seamstress, teacher, and mistress of culinary arts, you will learn hands-on how to prepare some traditional West Indian drinks such as the popular maubi, tamarind, sour-sop, hibiscus drink, lime, and passion fruit, all made from local fruits and plants.”
You can download a PDF file of the complete Seminar Brochure: (Right Click, Save As)
I hope someone will video (or audio podcast, hint,hint)the first event. I’m sure alot of peope would love to hear Mr. Benjamin and his friends share their stories!