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Blacktip Island residents will ease some pent-up frustration Saturday morning at Eagle Ray Cove with the small Caribbean island’s inaugural Cast the First Stone criticism and rock-skipping festival. (photo courtesy of Killy Ridols)

Blacktip Island civic leaders announced the inaugural Cast the First Stone public criticism and rock-skipping festival in Eagle Ray Sound Saturday to address growing tensions on the small Caribbean island.

“Stress has been high lately, what with the lagging tourism numbers and the rising prices,” de facto island mayor Jack Cobia said. “Folks keeping grievances to themselves to keep the peace, that’s about to have the opposite effect. Blacktip’s like a powder keg now, just waiting to go off. Cast the First Stone’s aimed at relieving some of that pressure.

“Folks’ll bring as many rocks as they want to the beach by Eagle Ray Cove resort,” Cobia said. “Then, they’ll take turns skipping rocks across the water while they yell out all the pent-up frustration about other folks they’ve been keeping bottled up. And in the process, we’ll see who can skip a stone the farthest.”

Island leaders praised the event.

“Keeping resentment suppressed for a long time, that’s not healthy,” the former Reverend Jerrod Ephesians, chair of the Blacktip Island Ecumenical Council, said. “This should benefit individuals as well as the community. Obviously, the name’s an allusion to the Bible verse about, ‘He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone.’ But in this case, Jesus was wrong. Sometimes it’s good to cast that stone. It can be liberating.”

Mental health experts were also supportive.

“Realistically, a lot of angry, repressed people in one spot yelling insults at each other has the potential for physical violence,” Tiperon University-Blacktip psychology professor Donna Requin said. “But that can be healthy, too, long term. So long as no one gets too badly hurt physically. I expect the event will be highly cathartic.”

Event organizers expect a large turnout.

“People airing their dirty laundry in public, at the top of their voices? Yeah, that’s guaranteed to draw a crowd,” Fannie Bottoms said. “Folks’ll come from all over to hear the gossip. And we’ll have rules in place to make sure things don’t get too out of hand.

“Every shouted claim will be rigorously fact checked,” Bottoms said. “Rock-skipping points will be deducted for any falsehoods, with point reduction commensurate with the degree of the lies used. And we’re reminding all contestants slander can, and will, be pursued in civil court.”

Others noted the inclusion of all the community in the event.

“We’ll have old-fashioned rock fights for the kiddos, in keeping with the original Bible verse,” Christina Goby said. “We’ll have them 50 or so yard apart, so no one’ll get too terribly hurt by thrown rocks. We’ll encourage them to yell insults, too, so they can get fully embrace the spirit of the day. And worst case, Nurse Marissa’ll be standing by with bandages.”