Happy Sinbad! What a great thing has happened here. To have celebrities and thousands of tourists mixing it up all over St. Thomas, and at the end of May no less, is beyond our wildest dreams. We say 'thank you, Sinbad.'
We have heard a fair share of grousing about this festival, which is pumping millions of dollars into our economy at a time when we verge on lunacy in our attempts to cut any kind of a deal to get money. The complaints support the notion that "gratitude is the shortest lived emotion."
And how about a little gratitude not only for Sinbad but for all the people who have worked extra hard to make this event happen despite the naysayers?
If only 10 percent of the 6,000 or more visitors who are here for the Sinbad Soul Music Festival return for a future vacation, if even half of those visitors tell their friends and relatives what a great time they had, if even a handful decides to invest in property or a business here, think what a long-term boost this could be for St. Thomas and the Virgin Islands. And that doesn't even take into account the tremendous amount of publicity this event is generating. Tom Joyner's radio broadcasts alone are worth a fortune in positive promotion.
We're not saying there is no reason to evaluate the event once it is over. But we are shocked that people who have been suffering economically for so long could find the energy to be critical and cynical about something that has brought not only money, but excitement, music and fun to what is usually an eerily quiet place at the end of May.