By Courtney Dentch
At about 3 p.m. Saturday, Tyra Emerson, one of the organizers of the JAMS Street Festival filling 10 blocks of Jamaica Avenue, looked up at the sky with cautious optimism that the rain that had been forecast would not interrupt the festivities.
But to the relief of Emerson and the thousands of people who came to downtown Jamaica to sample the music, food and amusements, the rain held off for the daylong fair.
“Wow,” said Emerson, chairwoman of the JAMS planning committee, as she surveyed the crowd. “I cannot believe this.”
Saturday's street fair, which closed down Jamaica Avenue from Parsons Boulevard to 169th Street, was the culmination of the seventh annual Jamaica Arts and Music Summer Festival. The event invaded Rufus King Park Friday night for JAMS Under the Stars, an evening concert featuring jazz greats Illinois Jacquet and His Band and vibraphonist Roy Ayers.
A rain location had been planned for the concert, but when the drops began to fall in the middle of the show, everyone remained just where they were, Emerson said.
“It was really good,” she said. “People stayed in the rain. Illinois Jacquet said 'I'm sorry, but the show must go on. Weather doesn't stop us.' The crowd was ready to go after that.”
This year organizers added a hip-hop fashion show and a play on Thursday night for JAMS Youth Evening, to draw teens and young people to the event, Emerson said.
But the high point was still the street festival on Jamaica Avenue. Hundreds of vendors selling clothes, jewelry, music, books, food and more set up tables in hopes of attracting some of the thousands of visitors. Police estimates put the crowd near 10,000, said a spokesman from the 103rd Precinct, which covers downtown Jamaica.
“We had to turn vendors away,” Emerson said.
Produce sellers from the weekend Jamaica Farmers Market came out to be part of the festival, and the Jamaica YMCA sponsored a Sports Block on 168th Street.
“We wanted the community to really take part in it,” Emerson said. “They all said, 'we want to be outside with JAMS.'”
The Jamaica Center for Arts and Learning also joined the celebration as a sponsor of a performance stage in front of their building at 161-04 Jamaica Ave. The stage featured different world musics from Dominican and Haitian to variations on African beats to break dancing by acts such as Full Circle, Pa' Lo Monte and Akoya, said Alex Campos, the executive director of JCAL.
“This is a wonderful event,” he said. “Our goal is to help promote the art aspect.”
A main stage at 165th Street also provided continuous Latin, jazz, blues and country music, including a tribute to jazz pianist Bross Townsend. Performers included Elwood Bunn's Country Jubilee, Martino Atangana & African Blue Note, Bobbi Humphrey and Bobby Matos & the NY Latin Jazz All-Stars.
Reach reporter Courtney Dentch by e-mail at TimesLedger@aol.com, or by phone at 718-229-0300, Ext. 138.
