The rockets’ red glare lit up Frederiksted Friday night.
Hundreds turned out at Fort Frederik Beach to enjoy the dazzling display put on by VI Pyro and enjoy a lineup that included Fyah Train, VIO International and Kurt Schindler, part of Our Town Frederiksted’s July 4 edition of Rhythms at Sunset. Shomari Moorehead, president of Our Town Frederiksted, said he was happy with the turnout.

“We’re happy that people are coming into Frederiksted to really see what we have to offer and enjoy themselves,” he said. “That’s the biggest part.”

Friday’s pyrotechnics ended with a tribute to St. Croix comedian Jordan “Dutty Heart” Jones, whom Moorehead said was also a member of the VI Pyro team. The crowd took a moment of silence in Jones’s honor before the last rocket launched — carrying his ashes.

“People are gonna miss him,” Moorehead said. “We hope that his life was a lesson for others to follow your dreams, follow your heart … do things that make you happy, do things that make the community laugh.”

The celebration coincided with the Ten Sleepless Knights’ Folklife Festival, and Moorehead said there have been talks about combining the two next year.
“So the folks will come here for a little while, hang out, go over there, patronize what they’re doing, hang out … think of it as a big music festival in Frederiksted,” he said.