Residents packed the Cruz Bay streets, above, and enjoyed ice cold shots, below.
It’s possible that untold numbers of breasts were saved on Saturday, November 5, as Woody’s Save Second Base block party raised $18,777 for the American Cancer Society’s St. John Relay for Life.
Todd Beaty, who owns Woody’s with his brother Chad Beaty, estimated that 600 people crowded the Cruz Bay street outside the popular bar for a night of fun, prizes, and most importantly, a night dedicated to raising funds to combat breast cancer, which kills approximately 40,000 women each year.
All the money raised will stay in the territory and go toward the St. John Relay for Life, a major ACS fundraiser scheduled for February 11-12 next year.
While the number of people who attended the block party was indeed overwhelming, Todd Beaty said he was most overwhelmed by the support of local businesses.
“Jewelry shops, restaurants, Soggy Dollar Bar and the Parrot Club were our big cash donations,” said Beaty.
“Almost every single restaurant on St. John gave us a gift certificate of some sort. I was super impressed that every restaurant stepped up to the plate; it made me feel good that my colleagues stepped up.”
A mix of people attended the event, from locals to tourists to an impressive St. Thomas contingent, which likely heard about the block party on The Buzz 104.3, which donated free air time for ads promoting Save Second Base.
“The 7 and 8 p.m. boats came over and everybody was rushing up the street,” said Beaty. “It was great.”
The raffle, which included prizes from local restaurants and other businesses, was the evening’s biggest moneymaker. Filling in the gaps were tips donated by the bartenders who worked the event, a few cash donations, and Save Second Base t-shirt sales.
Woody’s donated all the alcohol it sold at the event, and Bellows International donated 50 cases of beer.
“Bellows was really a big help with this,” said Beaty.
Also a big help was the V.I. Police Department’s St. John Deputy Chief Darren Foy who helped Woody’s secure the necessary permits to host the party and close the street.
Woody’s motivation for saving second base is quite obvious: their staff has been entirely female for the past 15 years.
“I asked the staff a few years ago, ‘If I could do one big event, which cause would you want to support?’” said Beaty. “The general consensus was always breast cancer. ‘Let’s do it because we’re all women.’”
“It’s my little way to give back to all the females that have ever worked for me,” Beaty added.
The turnout for Save Second Base has been so good over the past two years, there’s no doubt that Beaty and the Woody’s crew will continue to host the event annually.
“We get so much of a good response from people,” said Beaty. “We’ll absolutely keep doing it.”
Several dozen Save Second Base t-shirts were still available for sale as of press time. The shirts are being sold at Woody’s, and proceeds will go toward the St. John Relay for Life.
