Back in November of 1971 when I first arrived on the shores of Jost van Dyke, Foxy informed me that he usually held a New Years Eve Party, and as the new Chief Cook and Bottle Washer, I wondered what I was in for. He told me that he would roast a pig underground 'luau style' that he’d picked up from a guy who lived in St Thomas & that I didn’t have to worry about that. I just had to cook something to go along with it.
The day before he and some friends dug a big hole on the eastern side of the Bar and very early on the morning of December 31st, Foxy chucked in some large rocks and lit a fire over them to get them good and hot. In the meantime he seasoned up a small pig with the usual seasonings, wrapped it in banana leaves, then in some hessian bags that had been soaked in water, tied it all together with some chicken wire. After the fire had burned down and the rocks had gotten sizzling hot, he put the pig on top of the rocks covered it with a couple of sheets of galvanized tin roofing, threw some more rocks and dirt on top of that and finally a little mound of sand on which he placed a little cross with RIP on top, with a bottle of rum to see it off into Never Never Land.
About 10 hours later, we dug the whole lot up and VOILA there was our New Years Eve Dinner, more than enough for the 20 or so Good Souls who joined us on that memorable evening to celebrate the 'Old Year' and the coming of the New.
Needless to say, we don't cook the pig underground anymore, and now we celebrate the transition in a much more flamboyant manner than in those halcyon days of the 1970’s, the very early days of the Yachting Industry in the BVI.
This Year we will be featuring a renowned Reggae Band - THIRD WORLD - a band that has been in existence almost as long as FOXYS BAR itself, and has just received a Grammy Nomination. We have an exotic theme of ARABIAN NIGHTS and expect our guests to come in costume, especially those who will attend the Gala Dinner in the UPPER CRUST, a yearly tradition. We also have an MC who won BIG on the X FACTOR - OLATUNJI from Trinidad & even one of our Grand Children - a Young man named Zepheniah. A far cry from the simple and total fun beginnings of the 1970’s, we hope to have as much (or more) fun with all of the thousands of Attendees who come to the BVI especially for this Giant Party that we host year after year.
We hope that, if not this year, at some point in your life you too will get to celebrate with us and see out the End of one year and the entrance into the New, so you can truly say that you have attended One of the Greatest Parties of All Time.
Happy New Year!
Tessa
Foxy's Foxhole Boutique Founder
