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Madison Street Festival: A perfect day
In the Madison Street Festival parade, Grand Marshal Jeanine Jamison and her fellow survivors of breast cancer rode in a float of pink festooning and ribbon to raise awareness to the disease. CONTRIBUTED/
Jen Detulleo, JFD Photography & Design
A Review —
MADISON – In its 36th year, the 2016 Madison Street Festival (MSF) can be summed up in one word: perfect.
Brisk temperatures in the morning warmed to brilliant sunshine by midday for perfect weather. The MSF steering committee had planned practically every detail for visitors to have perfect access to entertainment, tasty carnival-style food, handmade merchandise and offsite parking with shuttles.
Jeanine Jamison graciously served as Grand Marshal of the MSF Parade and joined a host of other survivors of breast cancer. Their float of bright pink reminded parade spectators that October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
New to the festival, a professional concert stage on Church Street was the perfect venue for local vocal and instrumental artists. Dr. Reginald Jackson opened with his jazzy saxophone solos that echoed off the gigantic oaks in downtown Madison.
Other acts were Trippin Dixie, The Beasley Brothers, Jed Eye and Big Daddy Kingfish with upbeat charts ranging from “Fortunate Son” channeled from Creedence Clearwater Revival, Wilson Pickett’s “In the Midnight Hour” and Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believing.”
On the Main Street Stage, the performers were Kelsey Steele, Gary Sanders, Divide by Zero and Macy Mat. In addition, Dorothy Cole of Decatur returned with her Tina Turner Revue. Cole first entertained Madison Gazebo audiences 20-plus years ago and still can dance a mean shimmy. Madison City Community Orchestra and Madison Clarinet Choir performed at the gazebo.
Children have their own section at MSF, where they petted baby goats and other animals, posed for a face painting, played on inflatable attractions and built make-and-take crafts. The Car Show featured an assembly of shiny Corvettes, other muscle cars and vintage vehicles.
In Crafters Cove, the original, made-by-hand merchandise kept shoppers busy all day long. The merchandise ranged from Scott Phillips’ museum-quality replicas of the space shuttle in gleaming, hand-rubbed woods … to hair bows and caps, oversized clocks, soaps and lotions, boutique-style clothing and wall/room decor.
Exhibits and sale of juried art pieces appeared in Artists Alley. Visual artists showed their paintings. Sculptures explained their designs, while jewelers and woodworkers proudly offered their wares. A festivalgoer could even have an artist sketch his or her caricature onsite.
Madison Street Festival brings out the best qualities in everyone. Almost a year in advance of each festival, MSF Committee volunteers exude patience as they debate suggestions.
At the festival, children laugh, and their grandparents glow. Young couples walk hand-in-hand, alongside senior citizens who guide each other through the crowd. For one day, the community shuns its worries and has a carefree, open-minded approach to an almost perfect kind of day.
