Celebrating 10 Years, Crucian-Rican Breakfast Sees Huge Turnout

ST. CROIX — If you missed the Crucian Christmas Carnival 2015-2016 events, Wednesday in downtown Christiansted was the last chance to get in the streets and dance to the sounds of Stanley and the Ten Sleepless Knights, as the festive season here came to a close.

Encamped by a sizable crowd from Basin Triangle beginning at 6 a.m. all the way to the Christian Hendricks Market in celebration of the Crucian-Rican Breakfast, Stanley and the Knights did what they do best: entertain the crowd until the party climaxed at the market, where great food was to be had and entertainment by a live band and deejay continued.

Held annually on Three Kings Day, the Crucian-Rican Breakfast celebrated its tenth year in grandeur. This year’s crowd was one of the biggest, and the festive mood that has generated so much buzz during the carnival season, remained healthy as revelers made their way up Company Street to settle at the market.

“Happy New Year!” the Sleepless Knights’ lead singer called out from the slow-moving truck that carried the band, receiving a resounding response from those strutting alongside. Stanley and the Ten Sleepless Knights has been the only band to lead the decade-old event and is the go-to group for many cultural gatherings on St. Croix.

The Crucian-Rican Breakfast is marked by two things: the tramp and the food, the latter donated by various organizations that prepare and serve it themselves. And large crowds of people could be seen standing in line at the market awaiting complimentary servings of various soups, roast pork, goat water, pig souse and more.

The event brought to an end what has been a great year for the festive season on this island, marked by no violence bar the first J’ouvert event in Christiansted, and a feeling, as told by many, that St. Croix is on its way back to prosperity, as people’s hopes have been lifted by ratification of the ArcLight Capital Partners, LLC/Government of the Virgin Islands operating agreement, the GARVEE bonds that sets aside $50 million for road construction projects here, the prospect of a new casino project in Christiansted, among other hope-channeling projects.

“Amazingly, for the first time in a long time I’ve met so many individuals who are just optimistic,” Senator Kurt Vialet told The Consortium on January 2 during Adult Parade activities. “And I think that’s important for St. Croix because sometimes we lack that optimism. I’m seeing people in the Village, guys walking up to me and saying, ‘hey, congratulations on that deal,’ because they feel something is coming.”

Mr. Vialet added: “2016 is going to be good for St. Croix. We can’t stay on the bottom all the time; we’re going to rise to the top.”