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26 Thursday, June 27, 2024 BATTLE CREEK SHOPPER NEWS http://www.thebattlecreekshopper.com

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WILL KOWALSKI

Sports Editor/Asst. Editor

One of the Cereal City’s favorite

summertime happenings – the annu-

al Vibe@5 free outdoor music series

on Fridays at Friendship Park in

downtown Battle Creek – is sched-

uled to kick off its 2024 schedule

with a visit to town on July 5 by the

band Denise Davis & the Motor City

Sensations.

The band will perform a tribute

to Prince, along with other blues,

Motown and R&B music.

The six-date Vibe@5 series runs

Fridays July 5 through Aug. 9 from

5-7:30 p.m. at Friendship Park

(located at the corner of State Street

and Capital Avenue NE).

There is no charge for admission.

Event-goers are reminded to bring

chairs or blankets to sit on, and to

dress for the weather.

Spectators may bring their own

water and/or soft drinks as well as

food with them on every concert

night. Beverages and food by local

restaurants will also be available for

The band Leave Those Kids Alone – a group made up of youngsters from

Windsor, ONT that plays everything from the Beatles to Led Zeppelin – was a

hit during last year’s Vibe@5 free music series in downtown B.C., and returns

this year on Friday, July 26 at Friendship Park. (Shopper News file photo by Will Kowalski)

This summer’s Vibe@5 free music series begins July 5

a fee at the site for each event.

Friendship Park is also part of

the Downtown Battle Creek Social

District Area, which means that adult

drink purchases at a downtown bar

or restaurant (poured into special

cups) can be consumed at Friendship

Park.

This year’s Vibe@5 series is again

a joint effort put on by Kellogg

Arena and David Bauman of

Ambassador David’s Productions

LLC (with Bauman being the one

who procures the musical acts).

In the case of stormy weather, the

first option, Bauman said, will be

to move that Friday’s event into the

upstairs banquet room at the Cricket

Club. The second option, he said, is

Riverside Golf & Banquet Center.

If a concert is going to be moved

to a rain site, the announcement

will be made on the Kellogg Arena

Facebook page by 4 p.m. that Friday.

Following is this summer’s com-

plete Vibe@5 schedule:

• July 5: Denise Davis & The
  Motor City Sensations, featuring
  blues, R&B, Motown and a tribute to
  Prince.


• July 12: Caribbean Soul
  Experience Quartet, featuring Soca,
  Motown and soul.


• July 19: Toppermost, featuring a
  Beatles tribute.


• July 26: Leave Those Kids Alone,
  a band made up of youngsters in
  their teens from Windsor, ONT fea-
  turing music from the Beatles to Led
  Zeppelin.


• Aug. 2: Magic Bus, with a tribute
  to Woodstock.


• Aug. 9: Moonshot, featuring clas-
  sic and today’s rock. music.
  Said Bauman: “An interesting note
  is that Magic Bus, the Midwest’s
  premier Woodstock tribute band,
  ran a contest for a free concert, and
  I won. They are outstanding, and we
  never would have been able to afford
  them if I hadn’t won the contest.
  “And overall, I am sure this is the
  best lineup in the 20-plus years of
  the free Vibe@5 concerts.”
  Also of interest music-wise this
  summer is the following ...
  Caribbean Festival
  Scheduled For Aug. 17
  The ninth annual Battle Creek
  Caribbean Festival – also an effort
  of David Bauman of Ambassador
  David’s Productions LLC – is sched-
  uled to take place from 6-11 p.m.
  and also involve an after-party from

11 p.m. to later at The Base Bar &

Grill located at 3905 West Dickman

Road in Springfield.

This marks the first time the festi-

val will take place at The Base. The

previous eight years, it was held in

July at Festival Market Square in

downtown Battle Creek.

“After eight good years at Festival

Market Square, the Battle Creek

Caribbean Festival will be moving

to Battle Creek’s premier outdoor

music venue, The Base Bar & Grill,”

Bauman said.

“Festival Market Square was a

great venue, and Kelly from Kellogg

Arena was good to work with. But

with the hours of the festival cut

from originally being 5-11 p.m. to

6-9 p.m., it was hard to call it a fes-

tival.

“So now, I’m excited about work-

ing with Brad, the owner of The

Base Bar & Grill, and I’m very

excited about the extended hours

situation.

Headlining the entertainment at

this year’s Saturday, Aug. 17 Battle

Creek Caribbean Festival, Bauman

said, will be former lead vocalist of

Bob Marley’s band The Wailers,

Lazo Johnfinn – winner of Top

Reggae Performer of the Year at the

Canadian Reggae Music Awards,

three Juno Awards (Canada’s

Grammy’s), Best Reggae Recording

Artist, Best Reggae Band and Best

Reggae Stage Performance – and his

award-winning band Exodus.

The evening, Bauman said, will

be highlighted by a “Tribute to

Bob Marley” by Lazo Johnfinn and

Exodus. Plus, Bauman said, there

will be a special guest performance

by the Reggae Sensations, and from

Senegal, West Africa, DJ & MC

Assane Dia.

Bauman added that along with the

great music, there will again be an

International Food Market featuring

See VIBE on 28