The iconic Lancaster Avenue Jazz & Arts Festival is back! It didn’t disappoint. On Saturday, July 16, the community showed out and welcomed back the festival at Saunders Park Greene, at 39th Street & Powelton Avenue. The post-pandemic Lancaster Avenue Jazz & Arts Festival was extremely successful.
The audience was filled with jazz fans who sat around on benches, at tables, on lawn chairs and in the grass, enjoying the Orrin Evans Quartet and performances by Glenn Bryan & Friends, Hailey Brinnel, Nazir Ebo’s Youth Ensemble, Alan Nelson, MJS Trio–West Philadelphia High School Jazz Trio, Dylan Band, and Kendrah Butler-Waters.
Awards were presented for “Visionary Lancaster Avenue Business” to La Pearl Beauty Emporium by Stephen Briggs, vice president of community relations, Wells Fargo. The “Leading By Example” Award went to Penn Medicine’s Laura Lombardo, presented by Kathy Desmond, president of People’s Emergency Center. The recipient of the ”You Make A Difference” Award was presented to Richard M. Gordon IV, principal of Paul Robeson High School, by Bob Smith, regional vice president of community impact, Comcast. The final Award “Above And Beyond,” was presented to Senator Vincent Hughes (#1 advocate) by Damien Ghee, PEC board chair, SVP, regional vice president, TD Bank.
There were plenty of vendors selling food, arts and crafts, jewelry, clothing and other accessories. Children enjoyed face painting. It was a much needed and appreciated day in the community.
People’s Emergency Center (PEC) thanks the sponsors of the event, which include Wells Fargo, TD Bank, Comcast NBCUNIVERSAL, Brown & Brown, Citizens Bank, Penn Medicine, Penn Live Arts University of Pennsylvania, TriZen, Nu Millennium Media & Productions (NMMP), The Producer’s Guild of Philadelphia and Penn Museum.
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