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Centerline has a center line

CenterlineOne thing different about this year's 8 Tuff Miles was the road surface.  There were lines down the center, just like real roads on the mainland.

Public Works Department people added them during December and January.  The yellow double runs from Coral Bay to Cruz Bay.

Locals as well as tourists will appreciate the line, of course, because it gives some sense of place as they negotiate sharp turns on Centerline, of course wanting to avoid the oncoming gravel truck, cement mixer, taxicab, or VITRAN bus.

Meanwhile, the highway project along the South Shore Road is just about wrapped up.  If memory serves, there are even painted lines along the edges in some place, another terrific safety step.

The newly rebuilt nine miles of roads on the North Shore have brought a not unexpected problem – higher speeds.  So, Park Supt. Mark Hardgrove said speed bumps have been installed.

He told the Virgin Islands Daily News, half a dozen additional bumps will also be put in place at spots where people cross the road.

St. John road race tougher this year?

Nearly 900 people crossed the 8 Tuff Miles finish line in Coral Bay Saturday. 

They covered the 8.3 mile course in as little as 46 minutes or as long as three hours and 22 minutes. 8TuffMiles-logo

Compared to last year, fewer people finished the race. While there were 1,000 registered for the Cruz Bay-to-Coral Bay event, only 880 finished the race compared to 898 who completed it last year.

Male finishers numbered 389, compared to 406 in 2010, while the women's contingent included 491 finishers compared to 492 last year.

You can find the complete results of this year's race here.

And as the 8 Tuff Miles Web site points out, next year's race is only 361 days away, Feb. 25, 2012.

The buzz around St. John’s Caneel Bay

Honey There's a cottage industry building on the island and Caneel Bay is helping with the construction.

In March and April, the resort is incorporating St. John-produced honey into its offerings for guests.  The gift shop will be selling 1.5 fl oz jars of USVI Honey and new items on the restaurant menus will feature USVI Honey. The effort will even extend to the bar and the Spa. Cocktails featuring honey and rum as key ingredients and massage treatments will feature honey.

About two years ago, bee keeping classes were offered on St. John and local honey was available at a summertime Farmer's Market.

The Virgin Islands Department of Agriculture says it has trained more than 100 students on all three islands in the science, business, and art of beekeeping.  If you're interested, you can find more information about beekeeping here.

8 Tuff Miles – 1,000 tuff racers

As many as a thousand people are expected to crowd the starting line of tomorrow's running of the 8 Tuff Miles road race.

Race organizer and founder Peter Alter says registrations this year include competitors from London, Canada, and Finland.   A  running club from a Cincinnati running store is expected to have two dozen entries, twice the number of last year.

But all eyes are likely to be on Jeremy Zuber, a mid-20s island resident who is employed at Caneel Bay Resort.  He's won the race six times.

Start time is 7:15 a.m. Saturday.  The 8.375 mile course begins at the National Park ball field and follows Centerline Road all the way to the Coral Bay finish line.

Race monitors will be on the lookout this year for 'bandits', people who are running the route but didn't register for the race.  They won't be allowed near the finish line, a race organizer told the St. John Source.

While the first-place finishers will cross the line within an hour after the start, there will be runners, joggers, walkers and even lollygaggers on the road for several hours afterward.  In its latter stages, 8 Tuff Miles becomes as much a community meeting as it was a race.

"CHANGE YOUR NAME….IT'S OFFENSIVE" shouted Susan de Bonis, a New Yorker when she read about plans for a suyshi restaurant to open next month at the Marketplace. The owner's choice of the name for their new venture, Zero Sushi, rankled her. And she was not alone.

Other folks also raised objections – but some people said it didn't bother them at all.

Jerry Shiplett just thought the name was inappropriate. "This is kinda like opening a Soul Food eatery with a confederate flag waving as a sign."

Ann, identifying herself as a daughter opf a WW 2 veteran, was less irked. With a son also in the service, she spoke from experience saying, "The ones that serve usually could care less about this sort of stuff."

"Love Sushi, but the names has to go, or I don't go," warned CTOP, also a New Yorker.

So, if you don't like the name Zero Sushi, got a better one? The Inquiring Iguana will buy lunch if your suggestion is adopted by the La Plancha del Mar guys, owners of the new sushi place.

What are businesses doing for St. John?

    In the past 18 months or so, a branch of the St. Thomas-St. John Chamber of Commerce was organized on the island.  Until then, members (like NewsofStJohn.com) had to go to STT for business camaraderie. Then Kate N Design's Kate Norfleet spearheaded a local chapter effort, with lots of help from Jose Penn, Andy Rutnik, Debbie Hime, and Fraser Drummon and many other business people.

    Recently, The Chapter e-mailed Members about the accomplishments of 2010.  There are so many, it's astonishing.  And to the Inquiring Iguana, they look like the kind of good news about the island others would like to be made aware of.  So, here 'tis: 

•             The Chapter, along with many other public and private individuals, had a successful year with regards to putting to the forefront the parking and waterfront issues with VIPA ––most visibly with the parking lot that is nearly completed at Enighed Pond, a project many people, including Steve Black, have worked a long time for and that we are grateful VI Port Authority and Governor deYongh finally made it a reality. 

•            Our work with Senator Barshinger's office to put together the Town Meeting on the Cruz Bay Waterfront and the subsequent Waterfront committee that has been formed and is meeting to make St. John's goals heard. The best part of this group is that it truly does represent a broad constituency from the St. John community working together with VIPA and other government officials to get the best plan possible for Cruz Bay.  

•            Honoring Cid Hamling at the Chamber Awards Banquet for her many years of dedication and hard work on behalf of St. John. 

•             Pulling together the St. John Community to oppose and influence the decision by VIPA to stop the institution of separate fees with turnstiles for travelers on the Red Hook Ferry. 

•              Having Don Porter be elected as the second St. John Member on the St. Thomas-St. John Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, giving St. John a bigger voice in the business community

As we enter 2011, it is time to set some goals for the upcoming year.  Though this list is long, it would be a tremendous help if you could tell us where you want to see the Chamber focus it’s efforts. Please let us know what you think is most important. Would any of you be willing to help or take on some of these projects?

•             Increasing St. John Membership in the Chamber of Commerce. While membership has increased in the past years, we need more members. There are currently 56 St. John Members; 305 people get this blast. WE ALL BENEFIT, so please add joining the Chamber to you to-do list if you aren't already a member. 

•             Completion and delivery of Chamber Member Directory. We spent much time last year getting the data base current and prepared for there to be many more benefits and much more exposure for your business. This includes also getting the database ready for the website which is a project that is much too long overdue. (I must admit our shortcomings as well as our successes and am doing what I can to turn these projects out) 

•              Renewed involvement with public and private schools on St. John and community based projects such as the landscaping of the roundabout. The Chapter has been given the green light by Public Works to adopt this site and with the start of the new year, we hope to make rapid progress. 

•          Increased awareness of PSC and public transportation issues relevant to St. John residents and guests.

•            Security Camera changes and additions are ongoing on St. John. 

•            Continued participation in the Waterfront Committee and efforts to reduce the amount of black fences on the Cruz Bay waterfront.

•            Town traffic and ferry arrival issues

•             Water taxi signs in Redhook, Cruz Bay and the Airport? 

•            Other directional signs throughout St. John

    And 2011 has already brought achievement including getting one side of the dinghy dock rebuilt with private donations of time, materials and funds.

    The Chapter is also now trying to do something to make the Cruz Bay Park Renovation project more positive for St. John while it is happening. Everyone is excited that the Park is being renovated but the loss of the entire park for the next few months is a challenge to our small town.

St. John, Virgin Islands Cancer relay raises $80K

Non-stop fund raiasers, serenaded by the island's best reggae bands and musicians, combined to produce a hugely successful anti-Cancer event Saturday and Sunday.

According to Gretchen Labrenz at Cruz Bay Realty, the St. John Relay for Life generated $80,000 in pledges, contributions, and admission fees.  It was held at the Winston Wells athletic yard. Musicians entertained all night, from dusk to dawn, while relayers ran, jogged, loped, walked, shuffled, and persevered.

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(This picture of the ballfield is from the blog for Maho Bay Camps.)

There were as many as 40 teams of 15 people walking around the ball field  for hours, beginning Saturday afternoon and lasting as long as they could.  "Plenty of local bands kept us going, including the Ah We Band, Cool Sessions, Mark Wallace and The Ish," said Maho.

Fight Back: 16 hours of running and music

ReklayThe St John Relay for Life begins Saturday. This is the American Cancer Society's premier fund raising event. Woody's Seafood Bar and Restaurant is the Official Sponsor, donating over $11,000 to the cause.

The event begins at 4 p.m. and goes ALL NIGHT.  The first lap features Survivors. Runners will take their marks at 4:15 p.m.

This is followed by an all night music fest featuring the island's best known talent playing at the ball field next to Sprauve School. Artists include the Ah We Band at 7 p.m., Koko & Sunshine Band at 10 p.m.,  Cool Sessions at 2 a.m. and Mark Wallace will serenade for breakfast at 7 a.m.

Relay For Life events are overnight as individuals and teams camp out at an athletic track, park or other gathering area, with the goal of keeping at least one team member on the track or pathway at all times throughout the evening. Teams have done most of their fund raising prior to the event.

"We will have up to 40 teams of which someone from each team will walk, run or jog at all times," explained Mary Bartolucci, the event chair. "This is to highlight the fact that Cancer never sleeps!"