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Bryan McCann & Friends played a variety of music at the Hot Summer Jazz & Art last Saturday evening. The Annual “Hot Summer Jazz & Art” was the place to be Saturday night when the Santa Paula Downtown Merchants Association provided an “under the stars” venue that featured al fresco dining & a large variety of art vendors. |
Hot Summer Jazz & Art: Crowd enjoys
Downtown music, food & partying
July 15, 2015
By Peggy Kelly
Santa Paula News
The festivities were all Downtown but it was an uptown Saturday night of music, art and partying at the 8th Annual Hot Summer Jazz & Art held Saturday that drew hundreds of people to the historic business district.
Some made sure they arrived early to get a table in the middle of the historic Downtown while others readied reserved tables to welcome friends.
“We get here early to get a seat,” said Frances Gonzales, sitting with her husband Danny at a table close to the bandstand.
“And,” she added as the breeze stirred the cooling late afternoon temperature, “we come to enjoy the sunshine and fresh air…”
There was plenty to enjoy at the celebration of the Downtown, where every building is an architectural treasure and dozens of vendors offered items ranging from fine art, wood sculpture and pottery to gourd art, hatpins, magnets, buttons and custom wine barrel furniture and accessories.
Many were eager for Bryan McCann & Friends to start playing hot summer jazz in the South Paseo facing a dance floor.
Another attraction of Hot Summer Jazz & Art is the fine art of dining and participating restaurants were ready to serve either al fresco or for easy to “go man go!” takeout to spread out on tables draped with fine cloth.
Tracy Lippert of Rabalais Bistro & Bakery knew how to get to the crowd by circulating platters of different goodies.
“We’re starting with the cookies,” said Lippert, “but we’ll come around throughout the night with different desserts!”
Many people that decided they needed a little pre-dinner snack visited the Red Hot Foods booth where Burma and Butch Baseline were offering tastes of their extensive line of salsas and other sauces.
The menu was eclectic with restaurants ranging from Rabalais, Mupu Grill and Garman’s Restaurant & Irish Pub to Tuscany Pizza, La Terraza Restaurant and Tlaquepaque Restaurant offering every type of food from Creole dishes and America steaks and hamburgers to savory pizza and favorite Mexican dishes.
Santa Paula City Councilwoman Ginger Gherardi started her shopping early: “I got this bowl from Nate Pidduck,” she bragged to her tablemates. And, when it comes to Hot Summer Jazz & Art, she added, “It’s so nice to have something like this on Main Street!”
The rest of the City Council obviously agreed as Mayor John Procter, Council members Jenny Crosswhite and Jim Tovias and Vice Mayor Martin Hernandez were also in the crowd as was Ventura City Councilman Carl Morehouse.
Richard Rudman showed off a pen and ink drawing purchased from Jaime Fontes noting, “Some of the stuff he has is dark and not suitable for my living room wall but I like the panda,” drawn by the artist.
Seana-Marie Sesma welcomed the crowd noting, “The Santa Paula Downtown Merchants Association is happy to be throwing this party!” and urging people to take advantage of the raffle by receiving free tickets for every $10 in purchases from the dozens of vendors.
The evening was good for artist Laura Brooks who was offering children and adults alike the chance to create watercolor art.
She was sharing multi-booth space with the Santa Paula Society of the Arts and said she was offering mini-instruction in using the glossy watercolors to “Try to encourage people that have never done art to feel free,” to express their inner artist.
Brooks was pleased that someone had asked to take a photo of one of her own displayed artworks and laughed that another was quite taken with a work described as “Madonna and Andy Warhol…”
Petunia’s Buttons & Crafts had a booth with much more: Anna Ward of the shop and artist Ann Perez were displaying their art as was Pete Johnson whose own repurposed wine barrel art consisted of tables — some heavy with coins under a thick topcoat — display cabinets and Lazy Susans other unique items.
America in Bloom was offering an array of potted succulents to benefit the nonprofit beautification organization and Mike and Noel Adams had a booth with his woodwork and her ceramics.
There was also tie-dyed clothing, birdhouses, hand-painted magnets and small oil paintings, hatpins and purses, fiber works and photography.
Fontes said it was his first show and business was brisk at his booth featuring pen and ink drawings as well as some brush works.
The artist said he had drawn since childhood, “Got serious about it,” about three months ago and just in the past six weeks or so decided to participate in Hot Summer Jazz & Art.
“I really do it for fun,” with a subject matter of “whatever strikes me,” said the lanky Fontes, whose father is the like named city manager.
“I definitely like working in pen and ink,” to create scenes ranging from Day of the Dead and dark Gothic-tinged works to more benign scenes such as the panda purchased by Rudman.
Talia Wunder, an event organizer, said sales at her Devone Design Jewelry — her own creations — were good: “I’ve done very well,” with a good reception for her handmade jewelry.
Sponsored by the Santa Paula Downtown Merchants Association, SPDTMA President Debbie Johnson said Hot Summer Jazz & Art has been a hit since it was first introduced.
But this year was particularly successful: “We made more money this year than last,” on art sales’ commissions as well as the limited reserved tables.
“It was just out of this world…the band was superb as usual and the weather couldn’t have been better. Everybody enjoyed dancing — I couldn’t believe how crowded the dance floor was because everyone loves to dance in our historic Downtown! — and the vendors offered a great variety of goods and they all did very well.”
The musicians added Johnson also enjoyed the audience: “Bryan McCann told me he absolutely loved coming back to Santa Paula, he just loves it here.
“He said ‘The people are so friendly and warm…I could have played jazz all night but they wanted to dance,’ and he was eager to play special requests for dancers. I told him ‘we love having you!’ ”
Johnson said there were others to thank: “It was a great committee…Susan Kulwiec headed it all up and she did a great job,” as did Maria Bombara, Carol Wood, Talia Wunder, Seana-Marie Sesma and Diana Williams.
