Thousands gather to enjoy Willingboro Jazz Festival
By Melanie Burney, The Philadelphia Inquirer | |
McClatchy-Tribune Information Services |
The annual
"It has become that place where people come for reunions," said township
Hours before the event began, concertgoers started arriving to stake out the best locations on the plush grass near the stage to pitch tents and set up barbecue grills and coolers. Others brought lawn chairs or spread out blankets.
"It brings the community together," retiree
Across the park,
"This is our main get-together," Clark said. "We meet here every year. We just have a good time."
The festival began at noon, and although organizers worried the overcast sky and occasional rain would keep people away, the crowd swelled to several thousand by late afternoon. A steady line of cars pulled into the park, just off
"I saw it on Facebook last year and said I wasn't going to miss it this year," said
Stephenine Dixon, 52, of
The township spends about
"It's a lovely event -- family oriented and just beautiful," said lawyer
Singer
The festival was started in the early 1980s by saxophonist
In 1984, the festival was moved to
This year, the festival again featured big-name acts, such as headliner jazz saxophonist and flautist Najee, and hip-hop artist
"I tried to get acts that people are going to enjoy and really get into," said
856-779-3814 @mlburney
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