Jacob Dimond / jake@yelmonline.com
Nearly 1,000 community members from Yelm and surrounding areas, give or take, flocked into Yelm City Park during the evening hours of Friday, Aug. 7, and Saturday, Aug. 8, to enjoy the laid back, serene evening as the ninth annual Yelm Jazz in the Park brought free, live entertainment for all to enjoy.
Marian Licxandru, organizer and founder of Yelm Jazz in the Park, also a co-owner of the Yelm-based Pizzeria La Gitana, told the Nisqually Valley News that night one of the two-evening event turned out to be “better than what (they) expected.”
“We started Yelm Jazz in the Park out as a Saturday-only event,” Licxandru said. “It’s so overwhelming to set up on Saturday morning and take everything down on Saturday night. So, we said ‘let’s add another night.’ The sponsors were OK to help us. It’s been great every year since.”
He noted that Yelm City Park transformed into the concert and event venue during the morning of Friday, Aug. 7. All of the hard work setting up the environment is paid off in the evening once an audience of community members begins to form in the park’s greenspace.
Licxandru was thrilled to see the community turn out in strong fashion on Saturday and Sunday for the ninth annual event.
“The atmosphere was fun. People were dancing,” Licxandru said. “You know, the sun, for whatever reason, in Washington state it’s kind of like playing the lottery. When it’s sunny, it’s hot. When it’s cloudy, it’s cold. Yesterday, it was a little bit warmer than today but people were still dancing. When the sun settles, people start to move their bodies and find their rhythms.”
The live entertainment came from all throughout Washington, as Licxandru noted the bands are based in Tacoma, Seattle and most locally, Olympia.
After months of planning the event and coordinating with bands and local vendors to ensure a smooth and successful event, Licxandru was happy to see the hard work of hosting Yelm Jazz in the Park pay off.
“When you work on something and you get a dopamine rush when it’s fulfilled, that’s how I feel,” he said. “At the end of the event, on Sunday when we’re cleaning everything, we’ll be tired and say we’re not doing it. Then, a month later we’re like, ‘no, let’s do it again.’ It’s beautiful. I keep telling myself that I’m going to hire help for the event, but before the event I’m like, ‘no, I’m rested. I can do it.’ But the older I get, I’m gonna need more help.”
Licxandru added that the feedback from attendees of Yelm Jazz in the Park is overwhelming. His favorite aspect of the event is seeing community members set up their chairs in blankets in the lawn and stick around the park for four or five hours.
“People tell me this is their favorite event and it makes my heart happy because this is my vision,” he said. “The food vendors, they’re happy. We try to keep it contained so everyone makes money. We’re not asking them money to be here, but we’re asking if they have good sales to donate to not-for-profit to sustain the next event. The bands have a good time, and it’s really beautiful at night.”
Additionally, Licxandru was thankful for the beautiful weather during the annual event — which painted quite the scene at Yelm City Park during the four-and-a-half hour long concert and event.
“Next year, it will be our decade — our 10th event,” Licxandru said. “The sponsors know and at the end of the event they’ve come to us and said they want to be part of it next year. They see the work and the feedback. When you see people smiling and having fun, I know for some people, it’s bull****. But for me, it just warms my heart. It’s like the hospitality business, you’re trying to make everyone happy without compromising your values.”
Licxandru also wanted to acknowledge the City of Yelm for its hospitality and help in making sure the event ran beautifully. He said the entire team was extremely friendly and very willing to help.
“It’s a community,” he said. “Even though the community grows faster than it should, probably, it still feels like it’s a community.”
