“You see families”: Lake Arbor Jazz Festival Fun for All Ages

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Jazz enthusiasts from all over Prince George’s County came together on July 16 at the Lake Arbor Jazz Festival, for a Saturday of family, festivities, and of course, jazz. As one of the only free jazz festivals in the county, the festival filled the fields of Lake Arbor Community Center. The center’s parking lot was filled before festivities even began, and this was soon the case at Lake Arbor Elementary School across the street as well. However visitors continued to pour in, parking in nearby neighborhoods, and carrying their lawn chairs and picnic blankets. “It’s a good way to get out of the house,” said 21-year-old Kristin Johnson, “and I feel at home here.” Johnson attended the festival with her parents and two siblings, who are all fans of jazz. “It’s great to hear the music [our parents] grew up with,” added Kristin’s 17-year-old sister, Corrin. The festival offered a plethora of activities for all age groups, including basketball, inflatable party equipment and facepainting for children and teens, as well as numerous food and art vendors. “If you look around here, you don’t see many onesies and twosies,” said Marcus Johnson (not related to Kristin and Corrin), who helps plan the event, “you see families—mom, dad, kids, but also the family within the Lake Arbor community.” The event included not only young audience members, but young performers as well, such as the members of the Prince George’s County Youth Jazz Ensemble, a group of students in fourth through twelve grade. “It was something I never tried before,” said Brandon Jones, a 14-year-old member of the Ensemble, “I’ve performed before, but never in front of such a large audience.” Marcus Johnson also explained that through attracting youth and families to events like the Lake Arbor Jazz Festival, children and teens gain exposure to the arts in new settings, possibly gaining new and beneficial interests. “It costs the same to buy a saxophone as it does to buy a Playstation,” explained Marcus Johnson, “but with the sax you learn useful life skills.”