BlackLiberalBoomer

There’s a circus in town this week; no not that one, a real circus, the only African-American owned and produced single-ring circus in the world. The UniverSoul Circus is making its annual appearance in Detroit at Chene Park from September 3 through September 14 2008.

The multi-racial, multi-national UniverSoul Circus began in 1994, as a vision by the founder, Cedric Walker, to explore and present another set of the talents of black performers and entertainers. Walker has been a music producer, entrepreneur and totally self-financed the first year of the Circus. Here are some facts about the UniverSoul Circus as of 2007:

Corporate Headquarters	Atlanta
Founder and CEO	Cedric Walker
Vice President	Paula Murphy
Vice President	Cynthia Walker
Vice President	Jackie Davis
Years in Business	14
Number of Performers	75
Number of Acts	12
Ringmasters	Tony Tone, Zeke, the Ringmaster’s Sidekick
Type of Acts	Clowns, Trapeze, Motorcycle Daredevils, Break Dancing, Acrobats, Bicycle Daredevils, Magical Illusions, Dogs, Lions, Tigers, Elephants, Stilt Walkers, Caribbean Limbo Dancers, and more.
Performer Home Countries	USA, Africa, Trinidad & Tobago, Jamaica, Colombia, Dominican Republic, China, Cuba, Russia, Brazil
Performer Home Towns	Cocoa Nut Grove, FL., Chicago, Memphis, Cleveland, New York City, Detroit, San Francisco, Atlanta, Topeka, New York City, Brooklyn, New Orleans
Animals	Elephants (Mindy, Lucy, Cindy), Tigers, and Dogs
Show Dates	219 (February to November)
Shows	500+

Tickets for the Circus are available at the Chene Park Box Office or online.

Shameless Plug: please read my husband’s blog, The “D” Spot…

We took a long walk around the park after dark…we found a place for Detroit jazz/fusion lovers to spark…

On Sunday July 27, Chene Park was packed and rockin’ for the Jill Scott Concert!

Just about every paid seat was filled; people were in their lawn chairs in the spacious and meticulously maintained green spaces, and lots of lucky boaters parked their watercraft on the Detroit River.

The night was perfect; the weather was perfect; the venue was perfect; Jill was perfect! Major props to North Philly!

Opening for Jill was an awesome musician named Bilal Sayeed Oliver–also from Philly–we could have listened to more of him.

You can get Jill Scott’s latest album, The Real Thing, here; and Bilal’s wonderful jazz/soul/fusion album, Soul Sista here.

Check out the remaining artists slated for Chene Park, and have some wonderful staycations right here in the “D”!

If it’s summer in Detroit, it’s Festival Time! One of the biggest and best is the Concert of Colors, now celebrating its 15th year. Heralded as “metro Detroit’s FREE and annual diversity music festival, the Concert of Colors is the largest festival of its kind in the USA. This year, the festival begins today, July 17, and runs through Sunday July 22.

The Concert of Colors started out in Chene Park with just a few thousand people, but grew to more than 10,000 in 1999, and then to 100,000 as the festival expanded to a 3-day event in 2005 in conjunction with Detroit’s 300th birthday celebration.

A wonderful venue change occurred in 2005, when the festival moved to the completely remodeled and still acoustically perfect Orchestra Hall at the Max M. Fisher Music Center in Midtown Detroit, home of world-renowned The Detroit Symphony Orchestra. In addition to the indoor concerts, there is also one outdoor stage. The festival expanded to four days in 2007.

In addition to the musical focus, there are also ethnic foods and crafts vendors, family and children’s activities, arts and crafts, and the 3rd Annual Forum on Community, Culture, and Race sponsored by New Detroit; this year the Forum will be on Friday.

The Concert of Colors Festival is made possible with the wonderful assistance of many corporate and media sponsors and non-profit presenters and co-sponsors.

Headliners this year include: Mitch Ryder, Mavis Staples, Don Was, Black Bottom Collective, and many more artists from around the world; a celebration of the diversity in the Detroit Metroplex. Artists will be performing on the Chrysler Main Stage, the Comerica Charitable Foundation Diversity Stage, and the Outdoor Rhythm Stage. Check out the full schedule, and get ready to party with diversity in The “D”!

Shameless Plug for my husband’s blog: Read The “D” Spot!