34th Annual Elkhart Jazz Fest this weekend, charity auction for Ukrainian relief
ELKHART, Ind. --- The annual Elkhart Jazz Fest is back for this weekend! As always, you can expect three full days of music, food, and fun at several sites downtown.
“It’s a community thing, the whole community comes out for it," says Larry and Vicki Ehret, longtime Jazz Fest goers.
The Elkhart Community is ready and excited for the annual Jazz Fest weekend! The tradition draws thousands of people to downtown Elkhart with a variety of musicians that play on five different stages.
“I’m very excited because this is something beautiful that my town has, and I always come here and enjoy the music," Blanca Morales says, another Jazz Fest fan.
“The other jazz festivals we’ve been to are always one venue, and you see it all there at one time," says Vicki Ehret. "But here, you can pick and choose the kind of jazz you want to see.”
This year, fans have the option of bidding on special Jazz Fest posters that will help support Ukrainian relief efforts.
“The Knights of Columbus had these posters that we wanted to do something purposeful with, and it just so happened that in looking for a purpose, we also were notified that the Knights of Columbus in Poland and the Knights of Columbus in Ukraine on the western side were just overwhelmed by this refugee crisis," explains Jeff Robertson, Grand Knight of Elkhart Knights of Columbus 1043. “The Jazz Festival draws a lot of people. The jazz community is a great community, and this gives us a chance to allow them to have something of history, these gems, and at the same time they help us help others.”
Since Covid-19 restrictions are no longer in effect, people from near and far have the chance to come together once again in harmony.
“When I get out of my house, I can even listen to the music. I come here with my family and enjoy the music. This is something that we do every year," says Morales.
“When we lived here, we came every year, starting in 1988. Then we moved to Florida, and we still come every year," says the Ehret's.