Dana at Carolina Corral says last Sunday’s fundraiser raised about $550 toward her goal of $3,400 needed to send retired thoroughbred Spruced Ivan to Florida for his retirement years. Dana also got a good couple of leads from On-StJohn.com readers.

If you’d like to help out with Spruced Ivan’s retirement, email Dana. She’d love to here from you.

Wally Rankin is back at Island Blues, and he’s revamped the menu. Wally defected to Compass Rose a couple of years ago, but owner Joan Hayes has hired him back as Island Blues’ new general manager.

“My job here is to recruit and keep a good staff,” he tells us. “Greg Seerden, one of my chefs at Compass Rose, is now in charge of the kitchen under my direction, and has helped me create a menu with quality fare at reasonable prices.”

You’ll still get live music just about every day and one of the best waterfront spots in Coral Bay.

The menu includes grilled fish, a hot roast beef sandwich, steamed clams and chicken wraps. And Wally’s crab bisque.

“We’ve got a new motto at Island Blues now,” says Wally. “Every dish goes to our mother.” Check out the revamped Island Blues menu, here.

Here’s another great plate that comes to us from Kate, in Alexandria, Virginia.

Kate, who has been coming to St. John since 1994 and who favors the Coral Bay side, has a beach house in Delaware she named after her favorite store on St. John. She calls it The Jolly Dog House. “We have five Jack Russell Terriers. How much more jolly can it get!” she says.

Kate loves dogs and is active in animal rescue groups. Kate’s signature says “Saving one dog won’t change the world, but it will change the world for that one dog.”

The biggest gatherings of local artists in Cruz Bay are for the Arts Festival and during Carnival, but there are arts and crafts bazaars several times throughout the year. If you go, don’t just wander around. Stop and talk to some of these artists. They’re always really interesting people. Like these folks.

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