The sixth annual Jazz in the Park event, which drew an estimated 2,000 attendants, was described as a successful event despite the uncertain weather on Aug. 5 during the second day of the event.
The event was held at Yelm City Park on Friday and Saturday Aug. 4-5 and featured several live musical performances each day. Throughout the park, attendants sat in lawn chairs or the grass to enjoy the music. Patrons also enjoyed refreshments in a beer garden or ate at several food trucks on site.
Marian Licxandru, Jazz in the Park organizer and owner of Pizzeria La Gitana in Yelm, was very happy with the turnout at the event.
“It was a great ambiance that we obtained. We shot for that. My heart was filled with happiness to see so many people that stayed out there for five or six hours,” Licxandru said. “We didn’t hear any bad things. We only heard compliments, and people thanked us for doing it. We were asked if it’s planned to come back in the future, which it will. It’s something that will go on until people have had enough, but I don’t think that will happen.”
He added that the event will return for a seventh annual festival in the summer of 2024.
“Looking at Friday and Saturday, and comparing it to previous years, I think that 2,000 people is a good estimate. We can’t really say for sure though, but we do know that people came from out of town, through I-5,” Licxandru said. “Unlike other events, we don’t want to have a sale or anything like that. We’ve seen people sitting at picnic tables and having dinner in the park, while enjoying the event. That’s why we’re doing it, and it makes me so happy.”
Licxandru woke up discouraged on Saturday morning after he found out it was raining and that there weren’t signs of it clearing up early in the day.
“I can’t change the weather so I decided to let it be. It wasn’t as hot as the day before, and seeing the rain lowered my expectations from the start. Everything from beyond was just extra sweet,” he said. “When you see that everything turns out well, it was more of a success than I could’ve imagined. Whoever prayed for the rain to stop, I want to give them free pizza at my restaurant.”
Licxandru said he only heard good things being said about the annual event, and he’s glad that the event is seemingly becoming a staple of the community. He also wanted to thank Today’s Dental Center for sponsoring the event. He said the business has worked with the event since it started.
He’s also grateful for the customers of his restaurant, Pizzeria La Gitana. He said the customers helped spread the word about the Jazz in the Park, and they played a big role in the event’s success.
“I want to thank everyone that showed up, or at least told a friend about it. I’d like to say something to everyone that doesn’t like jazz music,” Licxandru said. “I’d like them to focus on the last three words of the Jazz in the Park name — in the park. The event is about the ambiance. It’s about friendship and getting out in the park, and we had something for everybody. Yelm is one of the friendliest cities. We have almost everyone from everywhere in our city. There’s people from Europe, military families and more.”
