Plenty of entertainment on offer locally this summer
By Alonzo Weston
The next few weeks will be an entertaining time to open summer in St. Joseph.
For those who constantly whine and moan there’s nothing to do in our town, there are the Coleman Hawkins Jazz and Blues Festival and the Juneteenth parade and celebrations this weekend, and next week an original play comes to the stage of the Missouri Theater. Parties on the Parkway, Sounds of Summer and Imagine 11 offer other entertainment options in our area. Stay tuned.
For more than two decades, the Coleman Hawkins Jazz Heritage Society has held our jazz and blues festivals in Coleman Hawkins Park at Felix Street Square.
For many years we held separate jazz and blues festivals. Recently, we’ve combined both. This year we’ll have blues on Friday, June 14, and jazz on Saturday, June 15, in the Downtown park.
The Friday night blues lineup will feature John Paul Drum and Willie Buck to kick things off. Saturday’s lineup features The St. Joseph Arts Academy, the St. Joseph High School All-Star Jazz Band, the KC Jazz Academy, Urban Forum and the Vine Street Rumble to finish out the evening.
Across town at John Lucas Park will be the annual Juneteenth Festival with a parade, vendors, live entertainment and fun for the kids.
The following week on June 19 and 20, local author Gary Wilkinson, in conjunction with the Black Archive will present Mike Wilson’s adaptation of his book, “Walk on Water” on the Missouri Theater Stage. The play will feature local actors recreating Wilkinson’s family history during the Civil War era. I’m proud to say it’s all my history as well as Gary’s dad and my dad were brothers, and Gary is my first cousin. Many of my relatives are in the play. Tickets are $10 on sale at the St. Joseph Museums.
Parties on the Parkway will go throughout the summer at various locations along our beautiful Parkway System. Krug Park also will host a Park a Palooza this summer as well to bring attention to our glorious North Side park.
So don’t always think you have to go somewhere big for good entertainment this summer. Other local communities will have events as well. It’s going to be a great summer for our area so enjoy our local fruits.
