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30 Thursday, August 15, 2024 BATTLE CREEK SHOPPER NEWS http://www.thebattlecreekshopper.com

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VIEWPOINT

GUEST

By Jason Augenstein

Executive Director, AccessVision

AccessVision will soon be cel-

ebrating our 35th anniversary of

serving the community. Since

1989, we’ve been best known for

government meetings and high

school sports, but AccessVision

offers much more than that.

AccessVision is the Battle Creek

area’s community television/

media center. Our facility houses a

3-camera studio, editing suites and

a podcasting booth. Professional

cameras, laptops and other por-

table equipment is also available.

Anyone may take our production

workshops to learn this equip-

ment and voluntarily produce a

program.

These programs are shown

on Comcast cable channels 16

and 17, U-verse channel 99 and

streamed online at accessvision.

tv. Airtime and equipment use

are free, and you won’t see any

commercials or censorship on our

channels.

Last year, we provided $8.1 mil-

lion in value to the community.

This number comes from adding

up the hours of airtime and usage

that our facility sees annually,

multiplied by the market rate that

commercial businesses charge for

the same services. We do all of

this on a shoestring budget with

five employees.

AccessVision is an independent

501(c)3 nonprofit. We’re not a

department of the city and we

receive no tax dollarsfrom any of

the four municipalities we serve.

Let me emphasize: AccessVision

receives no funding from taxes.

We are funded by franchise fees.

Each municipality collects these

fees from the cable companies, in

exchange for allowing them to use

public rights-of-way to connect

to subscribers’ homes. A portion

of this money is passed along to

AccessVision.

AccessVision: More

Than Meets The Eye

See VIEWPOINT on 31

Marley-connected Lazo to headline Aug. 17

Caribbean Festival at The Base

WILL KOWALSKI
Sports Editor/Asst. Editor

The ninth annual Battle Creek
Caribbean Festival will take place
this Saturday, Aug. 17 from 6 p.m.
to 1 a.m. at The Base Bar & Grill
located at 3905 West Dickman Road
in Springfield.
This marks the first time the festival
will take place at The Base and in
August. The previous eight years, it
was held in July at Festival Market
Square in downtown Battle Creek.
Tickets are priced at $5 per person,
plus VIP tables are available, and
they are available now at The Base
Bar & Grill’s Facebook page. Tickets
will also be available at the gate the
day of the show.
“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,”
said David Bauman of David’s
Productions LLC, a B.C. native who
brought the festival from Kalamazoo

to the Cereal City about a decade ago.

“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 origi-

nally being 5-11 p.m. to 6-9 p.m., it

was hard to call it a festival.

“So now, I’m excited about working

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 festival is the 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.

“I’m really excited to have Lazo

and Exodus at this year’s festival,”

Bauman said. “The crowd is going to

love them, as well as the rest of the

festival’s offerings.”

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 Sweet 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

authentic food from the Caribbean

including Jamaican Spice, Caribbean

Grill & Chill, Flavors of Jamaica,

PJW Creole Cuisine and Chef “N”

Ultimate.

Plus, Bauman said, craft vendors

from the Caribbean and Africa will

include Crafty Jenny, seneArt from

Senegal, Beach Bling by Amanda,

J’s Blings & Things, West Michigan

Jewels of Africa, The Cxllective and

Zydeco Tree.

For more information, visit the

Battle Creek Caribbean Festival’s

Facebook page or The Base Bar &

Grill’s Facebook page, or contact

Bauman at [email protected].

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