For nearly 50 years, Stanley and the Ten Sleepless Knights (TSK) have serenaded the St. Croix community with the sweet sounds of Christmas quelbe music during the holidays. Over a two-day period, the band kicks off just after a midnight on Christmas Eve and Christmas morning spreading holiday cheer from one end of the island to the next.
TSK is the leading band in the U.S. Virgin Islands that performs the territory’s official music known as quelbe. Also known as scratch band music, this native grassroots form of folk music originated in the USVI and is a form of oral history. It is used to preserve significant historical events, tell stories and jokes (often with a bit of risque undertone) and relay the day-to-day trials and tribulations of island life. This iconic scratch band consists of ten members playing a variety of instruments including a triangle, squash, flute, guitar, steel bass pan, banjo and a conga drum, to name a few. African rhythms and the sound of Danish and British military bands influenced the sound of quelbe music, which has gained great popularity over the past decades.
Band member Kendell Henry shared that the band carried their instruments and walked from house to house when they started back in the 1970s. Today, the band travels across the island on a flatbed truck outfitted with speakers, weaving in and out of neighborhoods playing the sweet sounds of quelbe music. Typically, the serenade route kicks off in Christiansted on Christmas Eve making its way through the neighborhoods as they head east. A long line of vehicles often trails behind the band as they make stops at designated homes to enjoy traditional Christmas refreshments. On Christmas morning, the band heads west to Frederiksted stopping at designated homes once again with the addition of revelry and dancing in the streets. Crowd participation for the serenade has looked different in recent years due to the pandemic. However, the band expects to see the return of some of these traditions this year.
The serenade remains an important part of St. Croix’s culture because it keeps the tradition of quelbe music alive as it was done years ago. In June 2022, band founder Stanley Jacobs received the National Heritage Fellowship Award. As one of the ten fellows (chosen from 180), Jacobs was awarded a $25,000 one-time honorific grant. The National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship is the nation’s highest honor in the folk and traditional arts that celebrates artistic excellence and supports continuing contributions to the traditional arts heritage.
If you are considering home ownership on sunny St. Croix, there are some good news! There are a number of wonderful properties available on island now perfect for buyers to make a second home or a forever home! Recently the mortgage rates have been decreasing and The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) announced in November that for St. Croix the conventional loan limit for one-unit properties will be $1,089,300, and for FHA loans, it would be $472,030 (read more about this here). We encourage you to take a look at our latest Coldwell Banker area reports that compare recent and historical sales activity for all property types; single family homes, condos, and land. Whether you are looking for a move-in ready home, a fixer upper, or a new build, we can help you find properties that meet your needs.
The reports are available below. If you have any questions, please give us a call or email us directly. We would love to work with you find a paradise home on St. Croix. If you are interested in selling your home, we will be happy to work with you in every stage of the selling process!
It’s great news to see the new loan limits for 2023 on St. Croix, USVI for conventional and FHA loans. The caps have raised which means more potential buyers will qualify. With the recently lower mortgages rates (it has for the last 4 weeks!) and the increased loan limits for the upcoming year, this means homes would be more affordable to buyers who qualify.
Conventional Loan Limits for St Croix
Units:
1- $1,089,300
2- $1,394,775
3- $1,685,850
4- $2,095,200
FHA Loan Limits for St. Croix
Units:
1- $472,030
2- $604,400
3- $730,525
4- $907,900
In addition, Freddie Mac reports the following national averages with mortgage rates for the week ending Dec. 8 (according to the recent NAR Magazine):
30-year fixed-rate mortgages: averaged 6.33%, continuing their fall from previous week’s 6.49% average. Last year at this time, 30-year rates averaged 3.10%.
15-year fixed-rate mortgages: averaged 5.67%, dropping from previous week’s 5.76% average. A year ago, 15-year rates averaged 2.38%.
For more information on mortgages on island, here are some links that will be helpful:
Question: “What does RENE mean, and why is important to me?“
Chris’ Answer:
The Real Estate Negotiation Expert (RENE) certification is for real estate professionals who have taken classes to sharpen their negotiation skills. It gives us the tips and tools we need to be skillful advocates for our clients. In the classes and following information sent to us, we learn how to handle a wide range of situations, and how to sort out the competing objectives of the parties involved in a transaction.
Contact us if you are in the market to buy or sell your property on St. Croix. We are an experienced team who work with buyers and sellers. We would be happy to help in every step of the sales and purchase process.
For a list of our sold properties sold in 2021-2022, click here. Search for properties for sale here.
Back for the first time since 2019, the St. Croix Christmas Boat Parade is ready to light up the Christiansted Harbor once again with holiday cheer! This holiday tradition started back in 1994 as the local boating community’s gesture thanking the St. Croix people for the use of the beautiful waters surrounding the island. Nearly two decades later, what began with four to twelve boats decorated with lights has grown into one of the largest attended events on St. Croix and the largest boat parade in the Caribbean. Additionally, St. Croix Christmas Boat Parade, Inc. was established in 2011 as a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization. Their goal with the parade is to bring the people of St. Croix together to celebrate the start of the Christmas season and to support charitable children’s organizations to help with educational needs and more.
Starting around 6pm after sundown, Christmas themed boats light up the Christiansted Harbor for the crowds gathered along the boardwalk to see. Over 25 boats and vessels of varying sizes join in on the festivities competing in categories such as “Best Lighting,” “Best Music” and “Best Animation.” The fun starts long before the parade begins with a flurry of holiday merriment. From 1pm, attendees are enticed to come into downtown Christiansted for holiday shopping and live music. Mocko Jumbies parade through the streets greeting holiday shoppers, Santa Clause comes in on a dinghy to greet the crowd and share candy canes, street vendors are cooking up local Crucian flavors to tantalize your tastebuds and live music from local artists, bands and steel pan orchestras keep the energy at an all-time high.
The St. Croix Christmas Boat Parade will take place on Saturday, December 10th. The parade begins at 6pm after sundown and will culminate with a grand finale that lights up the sky with spectacular fireworks. For more information, visit the St. Croix Christmas Boat Parade Facebook page at www.facebook.com/STXBoatParade.
Article written by Anquanette Gaspard (agaspard@cruzanfoodie.com) for Coldwell Banker, St. Croix Realty
