Kenosha – The HarborPark Jazz Rhythm & Blues festival, Kenosha’s most festive lakefront music event announces internationally acclaimed Saxophonist Paul Taylor as the Jazz headliner to celebrate the 15th Anniversary event. The music kicks off with Wisconsin’s most popular Reggae band, Madison based, Natty Nation followed by Milwaukee’s hottest R&B band Christopher’s Project with Joe (the Crooner) Jordan. TheBlues headliner will be announced in the coming weeks. “The HarborPark Jazz, Rhythm & Blues Festival hasbeen providing a wonderfully diverse mixture of music in Kenosha for the past 15 years,” said Dennis DuChene, President of the Kenosha Area Convention & Visitors Bureau. “Drawing visitors from Milwaukee,Chicagoland and beyond, the event showcases our beautiful lakefront and highlights our community’sdedication to the arts and cultural activities. The return of the Arts & Crafts Village is a testament to that as well. We are proud to partner with the Mahone Foundation to have events such as this in our area.”
“It’s hard to believe we reached a 15 year milestone given our first event with Ramsey Lewis was a complete washout. Our goal was to recruit national and local musicians to bring high quality Jazz and Blues music to our beautiful lakefront while raising money for our Career Exploration Organization mentoring program. Over the years, the committee has worked really hard to create a festival which features a range of musical genres while offering great food and drink that all people can enjoy. What started out as a local Jazz & Blues event has grown to a regional music festival with sounds of Reggae, Lite Rock and R&B attracting fans from all over the Midwest. It’s been a tremendously successful 15 year run and as long as the Lake stays there so will the HarborPark Jazz, Rhythm & Blues fest”, says Tim Mahone.
Testimonial from few long term attendees:
“We’ve been attending Harbor Park Jazz since the start, albeit the first event was rained out for jazz pianist Ramsey Lewis. The venue on the Lake front is great! We love the family friendly environment along with the great lineup of local and nationally known musicians. We’re looking forward to this year’s event featuring saxophonist Paul Taylor!!, said local resident Adelene and Derrell Greene”
Its always a festive great time bringing my friends and family to the Kenosha HarborPark Music Fest. The
Lakefront is absolutely beautiful, the ease of parking and of course listening to the great music while tasting
various types of food is the highlight, says Chicago based Dr. Michael Guthrie.
The Mahone Fund a part of the Kenosha Community Foundation, a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organization. Donations are tax deductible to the extent allowed by law. • Tax ID #39-6045289 • www.mahonefund.org
After a five year hiatus, the Arts & Crafts Village returns to the HarborPark festival showcasing a broad mix of juried fine art, paintings, prints, photographs, sculpture, jewelry, handmade clothing, fine crafts and a lively art- making tent aimed at families with young children. Artisans will showcase their talent in a variety of mediums on the beautiful shores of Lake Michigan. Art pieces, prints and merchandise will be available for purchase.
“The Kenosha Art Association is excited to partner with the Harbor Park Jazz Rhythm & Blues event tocelebrate its 15th anniversary. It’s a natural fit to align our organizations and bring quality music and creativearts and crafts vendors for the attendees to enjoy, says Pat Koesser, Kenosha Arts Association representative..
Organizers are taking applications for various artists. Artists can get more information and an application by visiting mahonefund.org or contacting the KAA at 262-654-0065 or email [email protected]. Deadline for entries is July 19, 2019. The Kenosha Art Association’s mission is to promote art, art education, and art appreciation in the greater Kenosha area! Please visit our website at http://www.kenoshaartassociation.org
The festival is scheduled for Saturday August 17th at HarborPark Celebration Place. Gates open at 12:30 p.m.The festival kicks off at 1:15pm with the popular “Cooking Studio”, an interactive Chef demonstration. The Cooking Studio provides the gourmet foodie and aspiring cooks a gorgeous lakefront atmosphere to learn thetricks of the trade in a mock Kitchen environment. Stay tuned for more details on the year’s competitive format.
Besides listening to quality music throughout the day, patrons will be able to purchase raffle tickets for the50/50 raffle and participate in the very popular Silent auction and “Wine Pull” raffle, giving supporters theopportunity of winning top quality bottles of wines and fun prize packages.
Volunteers for the festival are needed in the following areas: Security, Ticket Admissions, Wine/Beer Garden, I.D. Verification, V.I.P Area, Volunteer Tent, Hospitality, Crowd Control, Stage Crew, Ground Crew (set-up & clean-up). Shifts will be determined by a volunteer’s availability and a four (4) hour minimum is required.Benefits include a volunteer t-shirt, refreshments during the time of your shift and admission to the festival. If you are interested in volunteering, please email your request to [email protected] and the mailing address is HPJBF Volunteer Recruitment, c/o Kenosha Community Foundation, 600 52nd Street, Suite 110, Kenosha, WI 53140.
If interested in registering as a food or corporate vendor contact Michelle Nelson at [email protected]. For sponsorship and corporate package information contact Tim Mahone [email protected].
The Mahone Fund a part of the Kenosha Community Foundation, a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organization. Donations are tax deductible to the extent allowed by law. • Tax ID #39-6045289 • www.mahonefund.org
Tickets go on sale Monday, June 24 at Tenuta’s, Andrea’s, and the Kenosha Community Foundation office, or visit www.mahonefund.org to receive $5 online discount. General admission lawn seats are $25 in advance and $35 at the gate. The Texas Roadhouse VIP tickets are $85 (includes concert ticket, food, complimentary beer and wine).
All proceeds benefit the Mahone Fund. The mission is to provide educational opportunities for economically and academically deserving youth and to support healthy lifestyle initiatives in communities of color.
MUSIC OVERVIEW
Natty Nation – www.nattynation.com
Christopher’s Project Featuring Joe (the Crooner) Jordan – www.christophersprojectonline.com Headliner – Paul Taylor – www.paultaylorsax.com