Jamaica JAMS To Annual Festival

Borough and city residents jammed to the sights and sounds of the sixth annual Jamaica Arts and Music Summer Festival (JAMS) last weekend in downtown Jamaica.
Celebrating the neighborhoods homegrown talent, JAMS showcased local musical acts and closed Jamaica Ave. and nearby streets to traffic for the throngs of attendees.
"Over the years we have been witness to a cultural transformation which has led to an economic renaissance throughout many of our communities including southeast Queens," said Queens Borough President Helen Marshall. "The purpose of JAMS is to continue this community revival by spotlighting our community, promoting tourism and consumerism and, most importantly, highlighting the cultural diversity of the entire borough."
JAMS was co-chaired by the Jamaica Center for the Arts and Learning and Cultural Collaborative Jamaica, and was both planned and sponsored by Marshalls office.
Friday, JAMS took over King Park for "JAMS Under the Stars," where Bobby Matos and the Latin Jazz All-Stars, The Marvelettes, and SLAVE performed under the night sky. Saturday, the JAMS Festival moved to Jamaica Ave., where the Rajkumari Cultural Table Drummers, Steve Kroon,Lesette Wilson, Coco Sukali, GQ, and Don Blackman & the Family Tradition took the stage.
The event was sponsored by Marshalls office, along with Time Warner Cable of New York, Con Edison, JP MorganChase, and countless other city and neighborhood businesses, including the Afrikan Poetry Theatre, the Jamaica Center Improvement Association, and the 165th St. Mall Improvement Association.