"I'm on break. I almost passed out. That's why I'm standing here," Bryan, who works at Unicorn Tavern in Old Town, said.

The bar was bustling, filled with all of the stragglers from the second day of the 22nd Annual Lansing JazzFest. All of the bodies squished together in the bar suffused a sweltering heat inside, abetting the already humid night.

The festival, which ran on August 5 and 6 this year, lures nearly 7,000 people every year to Lansing's cultural core, according to the official festival website, with local businesses and restaurants then catering to peoples needs. To Bryan, this year's jamboree seemed even more lively than usual.

"The last five have been way down, but this one seems way up," Bryan, a 13-time festival attendee, said. "It gets people to come out and walk the area. They get to see what new businesses moved in, and hopefully, some of (the people) will come back."

That's not even mentioning the music, which radiated outwards from the central stage on the intersection of Turner Street and East Grand River Avenue until late Saturday night. 

Terrilyn Bell-Coker is a first-time visitor for the festival, brought by her well-ventured friend's recommendation.

"From what I saw, I enjoyed it," Bell-Coker said after Ramona Collins, the final performer, bid the crowd a good night. "It was a pleasure... The music is my favorite."

Collins, a Lansing native, serenaded the crowd with a soulful interpretation of Louis Armstrong's "What a Wonderful World" before bowing off-stage. And while some of the featured performers travelled from across the nation, the goal was to bring it back to the home streets of the capital city and showcase mid-Michigan's spirit for the arts.

"She certainly was (excellent)," Bell-Coker said about Collins. 

Throughout the weekend, Lansing had on its best face. Across the street, popular cultural tents offered food, merchandise and entertainment for kids from local vendors, driving commerce throughout the region. 

Meanwhile, a trickle-down effect helped fully flash the best of Old Town itself. Tourists and locals enjoyed the sets or atmosphere from the neighborhood restaurants and bars, only to find a new favorite hang-out spot.

"People get down there, get done their playing and they come over here," Bryan said, noting that even the artists would serve as patrons of Unicorn Tavern.  "Here at the Unicorn (Tavern), we run music three times a week... I've seen national acts in here. I've seen everybody from the people who live under the bridge to the mayor to ex-governor Engler."

Even though the fest is only two days, it drives people to enjoy the local offerings for the other 363 days of the year, according to Bryan. After all, jazzing up the area is the goal and the melodies of Old Town stay constant.

"Good music is good music no matter what it is," Bryan said.