Banging tambourines and hollering spiritedly, dozens of rowdy members of the Gypsy Troupe led the cheers opening Carnival Village Monday, hailing this year’s Village honoree, 87-year-old Gypsy founder Gerard Nicholson.
“Gerry’s Gypsy Caravan,” as the Village has been dubbed, took off as scheduled Monday as hundreds of locals and visitors gathered at around 6:30 p.m., after ribbon-cutting ceremonies, to enjoy food and drinks at the 34 booths set up and decorated with the caravan theme.
“Believe me," Nicholson said as festivities began, “there is no better fun than Carnival.”
Nicholson has danced his way up Main Street in annual parades since Carnival’s revival in 1958. He said he called it quits last year, after a run of 57 consecutive Carnivals, because, at his age, he held things up.
“My pace was so slow,” he said, “when the parade reach by the ball park, I would still be down by Frenchtown!”
Many of his fellow Gypsies, some of them his age, laughed and goaded him on as he reminisced.
“As you can see,” he said, “we are here in full force.”
Virgin Islanders in general turned up to the Village opening in full force Monday, officially transforming the Fort Christian parking lot into the epicenter of “Bacchanal Again for 2010” – this year’s Carnival theme.
The Ferris wheel spun dizzily in the Children’s Village, while the rum shacks made the adults spin. Dripping ladles dished up generous helpings of conch, goat water, and kallaloo, too, which Sen. Wayne James tried to tell St. Thomians was made better on St. Croix. For that, he was heckled and booed.
Folks applauded him, though, when he summed up the safety message drummed all day by politicians and police.
Drink in hand, James reminded everyone to eat and drink as much as they wanted.
“The reason we come up Main Street instead of down Main Street is because this is the time we can defy authority, this is when we can go against the mainstream,” he said.
“The only thing you are not allowed to do at Carnival is to violate the human rights of another individual,” he said.
Earlier Monday, VIPD brass held a short briefing for reporters to explain some of the police precautions being taken to accommodate Carnival and keep it safe. Foremost on everybody’s mind was the early closing last year of J’ouvert after a rash of Carnival-related violence.
“As Chief (Rodney) Querrard said, ‘Rain can’t stop the Carnival, but violence can,’” said Kenneth Blake, the chairman of the V.I. Carnival Committee.
“Violence is not something that is going to wreck our Carnival,” said Gov. John deJongh Jr. when it came his turn to announce that the Village festivities had officially begun.
Any hint of trouble, however, seemed worlds away Monday as the merriment got under way.
Many vendors offered the traditional fare of fried fish, curry chicken and various pates. Others put a Gypsy twist on the menu, such as booth number 31, offering deep fried cheesecake with chocolate sauce, and chef Leslie Gumbs offering stuffed lobster and coconut curry tofu at booth number 16.
Playing on politics like a Calypsonian, Wayne Benjamin at “de Rhum Shoppe” said he was offering two special drinks this year to promote the V.I. rum industry. A “Native” is made with Cruzan, he said, while the “Naturalized Citizen” gets a shot or two of spiced Captain Morgan rum.
“That’s what we pushin’” he said. “No Bacardi here, man.”
Representing the Dominican Republic, booth 24 received the prize for best booth, while booths 27 and 18 received second and third. Booth 31, where a big line formed for its “Bacchanal Bacalao,” or salt fish stew, got a prize for having the friendliest relationship with Village organizers. Civility counts, even at Carnival.
All in yellow shirts proudly displaying their pedigree, members of the Gypsy Troupe kept things lively with spontaneous dancing and by continuously rattling glow-in-the-dark tambourines.
“It’s a lot of fun,” said Lynette Niles, a second generation Gypsy. “It’s like a big family,” she said.
Nicholson, the patriarch of that family, moved through the crowd Monday remembering the good old days and urging the younger Gypsies to carry on.
“God willing, we will see him heading up the road again leading the Gypsy posse,” said Eddie Delagarde, speaking for Delegate to Congress Donna Christensen.
“I’ll be out there jumping,” Nicholson said.

Carnival Village is open each day until 2 a.m.