They tapped their sandals and swayed to the beat as international musicians jammed Saturday during the first Caribbean Music Festival in downtown Bonita Springs.
"They say reggae plays at a tempo that's the same rate as your heart," Miami DJ Lance-o of Kulcha Shok, 44, said as he manned a booth selling his CDs. "That's why it moves people."
Lance-o will spin his tunes at the festival as it continues from 1-6 p.m. today at Riverside Park.
Event staff estimated nearly 1,000 people had visited by 4 p.m. Saturday. Staff expected many would return when headliner Inner Circle - the Grammy-winning group best known for the song "Bad Boys," the theme for the TV show "COPS" - took the stage later that evening.
Inner Circle was an example of the caliber of musicians festival founder Mike Bode brought to the Bonita event, estimated to cost about $85,000.
"These aren't acts that play in their garage," he said. "These are all top-notch international groups."
About $45,000 went toward entertainment. Proceeds will benefit the Bonita Springs Assistance Office and other local charities, Bode said.
He hopes to turn the festival into an annual event.
Bode became interested in reggae and Caribbean culture when he visited Jamaica for the first time on Sept. 11, 2001 - which also happened to be his birthday. As Bode, his wife, Ruth, and other American tourists rushed to TV screens to watch reports of the tragedy that day, Jamaicans let the Bodes stay for free an extra four days until they could get a flight back to Florida.
"The people took very good care of us," he said. "They were very sympathetic."
As vendors sold T-shirts and necklaces adorned with Bob Marley's image and people munched on specialities like chicken empanadas to shish kabobs and avocado salad, they talked about the underlying themes of love and acceptance that exemplify reggae music.
"It's about pointing out injustices and trying to make them better," DJ Lance-o said of reggae.
Naples resident Laurie Tichy-Smith, 45 - clad in a flowing, ankle-length brown skirt and a peace sign T-shirt - sipped a beer and moved to the island tunes.
"This is what brings people to life," Tichy-Smith said of the music.
The Indiana native - who moved to Southwest Florida a year ago - said she regularly travels to Lee County for events such as Art Walk in downtown Fort Myers and the annual River & Blues Festival because she believes the area offers a more vibrant arts scene than Collier County.
Meanwhile, Cheryl Rodriguez, executive chef at Golden Krust in Port Charlotte, handed out menus. Rodriguez said the festival provided a carefree atmosphere where people could enjoy positive music.
"It's a good fusion for this area," she said of the event.
Source Newspress
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