LANSING - Walking around the city at 11:30 p.m. on a Saturday night may seem unusual to some people, but for others, it’s an opportunity they’d never miss.
While some area residents were asleep, others were listening to Detroit trumpeter Marcus Belgrave as he wrapped up the second night of the 2001 JazzFest in Lansing’s Old Town, on Grand River Avenue.
The JazzFest ran from Friday through Sunday and featured performances by Greater Lansing Symphony Orchestra Big Band, Those Delta Rhythm Kings and Ramona Collins, among others. The festival also included various food vendors and a beer tent.
Lansing resident Barb Alspaugh and her husband, Carl, attended the festival Saturday night and said the music is just one of the reasons they spent their evening in Old Town.
“We came for the music,” Alspaugh said. “But we really enjoy these types of community events - It’s wonderful for all the area businesses.”
Alspaugh said Old Town has changed tremendously in the past few years.
“It’s amazing,” she said. “We grew up in the area and the difference is night and day.”
Alspaugh said Old Town isn’t the only thing that’s changed in the three years she and her husband have gone to the JazzFest.
“(The JazzFest) has really grown since we first came,” she said. “We used to be able to walk in and put our lawn chairs down right in front of the stage.”
But prime seats like that were much harder to come by at this year’s gala.
Terry Terry, president of the Old Town Business and Art Development Association, said the festival’s attendance surpassed his expectations.
“We’re setting records,” Terry said. “It looks like we’re going to have well beyond our goal of 20,000.”
Although no official numbers will be in until after the festival ends, Terry said it was easy to tell how many people attended.
“The stages were surrounded,” he said. “We were bursting at the seams.”
Old Town stores kept their doors open during the JazzFest to capitalize on the record amounts of patrons.
“The idea behind the JazzFest is to promote the businesses in Old Town,” Terry said.
Todd Mack, owner of Todd Mack Custom Framing Gallery, 307 E. Grand River Ave. in Lansing, said the JazzFest has an incredible impact on Old Town businesses.
“It’s a big deal for us,” Mack said. “This is our busiest weekend every year.”
Mack’s store is so busy, he expands his business hours during the JazzFest.
“I practically double them,” Mack said on the last day of the JazzFest. “We were open ’til midnight on Friday and 11 p.m. on Saturday.
“We aren’t even open on Sundays, but we will be today.”
Zoology and psychology senior Carolyn Baker said she hasn’t always had the most pleasant impression of Lansing, but she said Old Town was better than she imagined.
“It was small, but there were some really nice stores,” Baker said.
She said it was her first JazzFest experience and she plans to return next year.
“I like to go to music festivals downtown, and this was a chance to see some other events in the area,” Baker said. “I had a good time.
“It makes me want to look into other things going on in the area.”
