With the festival season in full swing, The University of Memphis music department will be a part of it.
The first Whitehaven Jazz and Cultural Festival will be held this Saturday at The Links on 750 Holmes Road from noon to 9:00 p.m.
The Greater Whitehaven Corporation, in partnership with the City of Memphis and Shelby County, is making an effort to expand the cultural activities within the greater Whitehaven community.
The primary objective is to hold an event that will provide an opportunity for the people of Whitehaven to participate in a great neighborhood event, while showcasing some of the new physical assets of the community.
"This is a unique opportunity for the people of Memphis to reconnect with a great community in the city," said festival organizer John Zeanah. "For years, people forgot about Whitehaven and what it had to offer residents and businesses alike. This festival will showcase the assets of the community, as well as some incredible music."
The festival will feature many performances throughout the afternoon, including The University of Memphis Jazz Singers and will culminate with the headlining Donald Brown Quintet. Donald Brown, a U of M graduate, has become renowned in the jazz world since his departure from The University.
"There is going to be some really great music at the festival - it should be a lot of fun," Brown said. "This is a rare chance for the community to come together to experience jazz that Memphis has to offer."
The festival will also include information and cultural exhibits, and several daytime activities are being organized for children to help promote this as a family event.
Some of these activities include free youth jazz clinics on the history of jazz and the art of improvisation, interactive art activities conducted by the Memphis College of Art and A Stroke of Art Studio, as well as a variety of vendors from all over the city.
Whitehaven has been going through a major renaissance over the last five years. There have been major public and private commitments for the area, which include two new schools, a new library, a new golf course, two new subdivisions, a Wal-Mart Super Center, the Memphis Convention and Visitors Bureau Welcome Center, a new Schnucks grocery store and new ownership and improvements to the Southland Mall.
Organizers hope that people from around the city will attend the festival and check out the changes going on in Whitehaven.
One of the performers, Candice Ivory, who grew up in Whitehaven and graduated from Whitehaven High School, said of her performance, "I love my community and I'm pleased to do anything to enrich the neighborhood culturally or economically."
Admission to the festival is $5 and free for children 12 and under. Tickets can be purchased at the gate, or before the festival at the Southland Mall Office and Whitehaven Levi CDC (4466 Elvis Presley Blvd.).
