The LuLac Edition #5, 345, June 4th, 2025

 

WRITE ON

WEDNESDAY

Our: Write On Wednesday” logo

This week we celebrate Wilkes-Barre City and the annual Jazz Festival being held downtown. Times Leader columnist Mike McGinley fills you in on this.

AROUND TOWN:

TIME TO CELEBRATE

MUSIC, CULTURE,

COMMUNITY

I can’t believe the week is finally here.

If you’ve been reading this column regularly the last six months, you may know I’m the campaign chair for the Wilkes-Barre Cavalcade of Jazz in Downtown Wilkes-Barre. The three-day festival kicks off at 5 p.m. Friday, June 6 at the F.M. Kirby Center for the Performing Arts.

This has been such a collaborative and exciting initiative to join.

I love supporting these types of community events, and I’m certain the three days will be vibrant and wonderous for Downtown Wilkes-Barre.

I hope you’ll join us!

Many of the events are free entry; some such as Friday performer Cindy Bradley and Saturday headliner Endea Owens & The Cookout require the purchase of tickets.

After the opening ceremony and performance on Friday, a jazz walk will kick off downtown from Café Toscana to Diamond City Vault Bar & Grill to Rodano’s and Franklin’s, then finally Senunas’ Bar & Grill.

Here’s the schedule of events (all are free unless otherwise noted):

• Opening Ceremony featuring The Marko Marcinko Latin Jazz Quintet – 5 p.m. Friday at the F.M. Kirby Center

• Tom Kozic — 6 p.m. Friday at Café Toscana

• Scott Edmunds Trio — 7 p.m. Friday at the Diamond City Vault Bar & Grill

• The Westmoreland Jazz Quartet — 7:30 p.m. at Rodano’s

• Lush Life Ensemble — 8 p.m. Friday at Franklin’s

• Justin Mazer Trio — 8:30 p.m. Friday at Senunas’ Bar & Grill

• Cindy Bradley — 9 p.m. Friday at River Street Jazz Café ($25)

• Jazz and Java featuring Doug Smith’s Dixieland All-Stars — 10 a.m. Saturday at Abide Coffeehouse

• Jesse Lynch Trio featuring Joe Michaels and Matt Smallcomb — 2:30 p.m. Saturday at the Circle Centre for the Arts/Wyoming Valley Art League (the Cocktail Cruiser of NEPA will be there offering beverages)

• Endea Owens and the Cookout — 6:30 p.m. Saturday at the F.M. Kirby Center ($55)

• Late Night Jazz Jam featuring South Side Five — 9 p.m. Saturday at River Street Jazz Café ($20)

• Jazz Brunch featuring Joe Boga Trad Jazz Trio — 11 a.m. Sunday at Bank+Vine

How’s that for a lineup?

It will be an amazing weekend filled with artists, instruments and excitement.

I want to sincerely thank our sponsors including Wilkes-Barre City, Diamond City Partnership, Visit Luzerne County, Service Electric, O’Donnell Law, DiscoverNEPA/Mericle, The Maslow Fund for the Arts of The Luzerne Foundation, Comcast, Building Blocks Learning Center, Anzalone & Doyle Trial Lawyers, Community Bank, Power Engineering, Cross Valley Federal Credit Union, Service 1st Federal Credit Union, Kronick Kalada Berdy & Co., Snyder & Clemente and WVIA.

I’m so looking forward to people coming out, enjoying the music and remembering that Wilkes-Barre was home to the first-ever jazz festival back in 1951.

The weekend will not only be a celebration of music, but of culture and community as well.

I hope to see you. Thank you for all of your support up to this point.

Mike McGinley: Times Leader columnis.