It's a first for us, a prelude to even more

The organizers of A Taste of Jazz hope to make the festival an annual event.

By BARBARA BEHRENDT Times Staff Writer
Published November 4, 2007

Jenny Toms, center, makes a Chicago-style hot dog while working with Stephanie Johnson, left, at the Chicago Eats tent at the first Taste of Jazz festival held at Weeki Wachee Springs on Saturday.
	[Keri Wiginton | Times]

ADVERTISEMENT [Keri Wiginton | Times] Dale Sloman plays the cornet with other members of Johnny O's Dixieland Band during the first Taste of Jazz festival held at Weeki Wachee Springs on Saturday. The event featured live jazz, local restaurant samples, art and crafts.

WEEKI WACHEE - As Patti Cotter gazed out the entrance gate at Weeki Wachee Springs Saturday morning, she felt the tears welling up in her eyes.

Even before the 10 a.m. opening, eager visitors filled the sidewalk. She saw people of all ages, with baby carriages and folding chairs. All were lined up to attend the inaugural A Taste of Jazz.

For Cotter, the event chairman, the line was her sign that months of planning were about to pay off.

A Taste of Jazz is a joint venture of the Hernando Fine Arts Council and the Hernando Jazz Society. The event brought together jazz musicians playing simultaneously in three venues in the park, eight local restaurants offering samples of their best cuisine and all the features that make Weeki Wachee Springs famous, from river rides to legendary mermaids.

The event concludes today.

Even as Johnny O's Dixieland Band was still setting up at the Jazz Main Stage, Jim and Brenda Adams of Bushnell were enjoying the fall breeze and dappled sunshine as they lounged on a nearby bench.

"We're jazz people," Mrs. Adams said, noting that her father and son were jazz musicians. Her husband's father also played jazz.

"We're a musical family. We don't play but we listen really well," Adams quipped.

The couple come originally from New England, and both said they were thrilled to have someplace nearby to hear good jazz music.

"I really hope this goes over well," Adams said.

Spring Hill resident Vicky Hartzell said she thought the event offered the perfect mix ofmusic, food and the park's other activities. The bright blue sky and cool breeze offered another incentive to get outside.

"Its like the first weekend of fall weather," she said.

Jack Welch, who does community relations for the Fine Arts Council, was doing his best as a greeter, making sure he was waving at, welcoming or thanking visitors as he walked the park's pathways.

As the attraction's peacocks strutted around the grounds and mermaid shows continued, Weeki Wachee Springs' general manager, former mermaid and mayor Robyn Anderson was scurrying around the food area getting booths organized.

"This is a big event. We've been flooded with phone calls over the past week," she said. As a pleasant mix of savory and spicy aromas began to waft through the food area, Anderson talked about the variety of activities, which should appeal to just about everyone.

Add to that the special admission price of just $3 and "you can't beat that," she said.

Local artists are also displaying their wares, from handbags and hand-painted T-shirts to jewelry.

Spring Hill resident Michelle Siggins has just recently opened her new business, Michelle's Accessories, and her crystal and beaded creations shimmered in the morning sunshine as potential costumers fingered and examined her pieces.

She said she was hoping the festival could give her some exposure and, since it was so close to home, she was hoping that some friends might stop by and buy a piece or two.

As the upbeat sounds of the Hernando Jazz Society's Founders Trio emanated from the nearby Petite Preservation Hall, the society's president, Eddie Lawrence, took a break from his many duties to say that he was excited about the event and hoped it would become an annual tradition.

"It's just a great pleasure for us to be a part of this," he said. "I think this is an opportunity for people to experience different music, swing music, jazz music. It's uniquely American. It's part of our history."

Barbara Behrendt can be reached at behrendt@sptimes.com or 352 848-1434.

Fast facts

If you go

The Hernando County Fine Arts Council and the Hernando Jazz Society's "A Taste of Jazz" concludes today, beginning at 10 a.m. at Weeki Wachee Springs, U.S. 19 and State Road 50, Weeki Wachee. Admission is $3 and includes park activities. Parking is $1. For information, call 754-4788 or visit the Web site, www.hernandoarts.org.

Here is today's schedule:

10 a.m.: Nature Coast Technical High School Jazz Band, Caribbean Knights, Jazz Company Swing Band

2 p.m.: Southern Exposure Jazz Band

2:30 p.m.: Hernando Jazz Society All-Stars

[Last modified November 3, 2007, 20:04:10]