The first New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival was held April 22-26th, 1970. A five day event with less than 350 attendees. In 2019, the last year before Covid canceled the festival, there were 475,000 attendees. There are over 1200 volunteers this year and an average of 650 volunteers work each day of the festival. This year I am one of them.
I have a friend that has been volunteering to work at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival for years. This year she invited me to tag along. She instructed me to visit the official website, nojazzfest.com, and there will be a link to apply. I received a call from Janelle Jefferson, the volunteer coordinator, shortly afterward, and scheduled my days to work. She was so kind and even tried to make it compatible with my friend`s schedule.
The weekend before opening day, we attended orientation at the fairgrounds. We lined up and picked up our packets with instructions for where to park and take the shuttle. We received tips for clothing, footwear, sunscreen, chairs, etc. There was a brief speech from each department head and a few inspiring words from our leader, Mr. Quint Davis, CEO, and producer. After orientation, Diane, my friend, takes me around the Jazz Tent and introduces me to several of her friends. Some of whom have been volunteering for over 10 years. “It’s like my Jazz Fest family,” Diane explains with enthusiasm. They hug and catch up and tell me about their experiences at the festival…building my own enthusiasm.
Our first day of volunteering, I pick Diane up at 4 am and we arrive at the I-610 underpass near Elysian Fields exit at 5:50 am, after making one pit stop. They have security set up around the lot and at the entrance. I am grateful for this. It is barely light outside as the sun begins to rise. We show our tickets and parking pass before entering the lot to park. We line up and take our seats in the transport van. The van takes us the short trip to the Fairgrounds, then we line up again to get our paper to give to our supervisor, Ms. Mary.
Ms. Mary is a sweet kind lady that runs the Infield Traffic Department. Her assistants/friends, Thania and her sister, Jan, help with introductions and direct us to where we will be stationed. I end up walking around looking for the “red beans and rice booth” that Ms. Mary told me I would be working near. I can’t find it but see one of the other volunteers I recognize. She tells me to go pick up the sign by the fence, a few feet away, and direct traffic there.
A few minutes passes and Ms. Mary finds me and says, “I thought I told you to go by the red beans and rice booth.”
“I’m sorry, I couldn’t find the red beans and rice booth,” I apologize.
“Oh, that’s my fault, I meant the jambalaya booth,” she smiles and laughs at herself. “Come with me, I need you over by the Festival Stage.”
I was a little anxious about being solo until I reached my spot and watched a few ducks, yes actual ducks, walk around where the crowd would sit for the Lionel Richie concert later that afternoon. All the cars, trucks, and trailers that passed through my little spot all knew exactly where they were going. The best part was the excitement in the air. It had been a three year hiatus and all the crew, vendors and performers were smiling and waving as they hurried to their destinations preparing for the gates to open at 11:00 am.
My friend ends up in a different location due to a shortage of volunteers in our department. As I stand at my intersection on the infield track, I am glad of the instructions Diane gave me, “You only have to guide the vendors, all other trucks, ice truck, festival trucks, beer trucks, (she goes on to name a few others) will be able to go anywhere they want. You only have to tell the vendors to go right to exit.”
Ms. Mary comes and checks on me and tells me someone will be bringing me water soon. She says she or one of the other ladies can take my spot if I need a bathroom break. She is kind and sweet as she tries to make me feel at home. Time ticks by and soon it is nearing the end of our four hour workday. We meet once more with our supervisor, turn in our papers for working the shift, and then we are free to enjoy the festival.
My friend gave me a tour of the grounds of all the important things, like where a real toilet can be found (grandstands and one for employees called “The Cafeteria”). She also told me where to find the air conditioned spots to cool off. She warned me that she likes to roam around and visit with her “festival family” and can be found in the air conditioned cafeteria if her phone dies. We went to watch “The running of the bulls” as Diane described it, when they open the gates at 11 am and the crowd comes running through the park with chairs, umbrellas, bags of blankets and what not, tucked under their arms tight, as they try to find the best spot to see their favorite artist perform.
We later followed suit and went to the main stage area, in front of Festival Stage, near the fence so we could use our umbrellas and not block the view for others. We set our chairs up to save our spots for the afternoon concerts and leave taking our purses and backpacks with us. After Diane completes the tour, she leaves me to do her thing. I am comfortable in my surroundings by this time so no big deal.
I take inventory of the food. Seafood Au Gratin, Alligator pie, Crabmeat Stuffed Shrimp, Fried Green Tomatoes, BBQ Brisket sandwich, BBQ chicken sandwich, Boiled crawfish, Louisiana Crawfish Etouffee, Cajun Crawfish Rice, Boudin, Boudin Balls, Shrimp and Lump Crab Ravigote, Louisiana Crawfish Remoulade, Cochon de Lait Po-Boy, Crabmeat Po-Boy, Creole Stuffed Crab, Crawfish Bread, Shrimp Bread, Crawfish Sack, Oyster Pattie, Crawfish Beignets, and the list goes on and on. If the music brought you here, prepare to eat while you listen. My first day I choose an oyster po-boy with a Strawberry daquiri.
I walked around the arts and crafts area. There were paintings, hats, sunglasses, jewelry, musical instruments, along with festival memorabilia. Festival goers are busy buying their souvenirs. I particularly like people watching. Some couples are dressed in matching outfits, some ridiculously funny. I ran into a group of five grown men dressed like spider man and I was jealous that I didn’t have his kind of friends. This festival I opt for sensible shoes and clothing that is comfortable and handles the heat and humidity. One day I hope to attend more fashionably attired.
I go back to our spot and have my mini picnic as Diane returns from her visiting. The concerts start and people are dancing and having fun all around us. I sing and dance (but only chair dancing, seated). I am impressed with the crowd today. I have seen smiling faces and people being polite. The city seems so alive with energy I haven’t felt since COVID took over.
Ceelo Green put on a fantastic show! I loved all of it! Lionel Richie also did a great job getting the crowd dancing and singing all the hits of his career. We stayed until the end before heading back to the volunteer trailer to pick up our tickets and parking passes for the next day.
On the bus ride back to our car, I sit by a Mr. Al Jones, a retired principle, Violence Prevention Coordinator for Family Justice Center, and volunteer at the festival. I told him I wrote a book about the struggle to get mental health treatment for my daughter after her infant daughter was diagnosed terminal with Zellweger Disorder. He said he sees a lot of the same things with his work. He has been a volunteer at the festival for years and still enjoys it and the people.
We make it to our hotel. It was a late decision to go to the festival and the hotel room we booked was the last available, if you know what I mean. I will not complain further. After unloading and propping chairs and ottoman in front of the hotel door, we flipped a coin to see who got to bathe first then passed out.
The next morning, we wake at 4 am and hit the road by 5 am. On our way to the festival, we get stuck in traffic for an extra hour due to an overturned car on the interstate. I emailed our coordinator, Janelle, and Diane also called to let them know what was happening. We were late but they were understanding and let us come on and work our shift.
I was glad to have the same spot as the day before. Diane was back at her old spot. Today my little intersection was hopping. The Who were headlining at the Festival Stage this evening and they were doing sound checks. Then the electric company trucks with huge generators and trailers start showing up. I was able to help direct traffic and route the others around them. One of their engineers stopped and told me how helpful it was. Made my volunteer day! Another kind vendor stopped and gave me some Gatorades. I told my friend I can see how it feels like a family here.
After our shifts we met up briefly to discuss the best place to set up camp for the evening show. I told her way in the back. I am happy anywhere I can hear and I like the laid back crowd toward the rear. This time I went solo to find the spot. I had a phone charging emergency and a sweet lady at the information booth offered to charge my phone. Diane had visiting to do, and I still had exploring to do myself. I left my phone with this kind stranger, another volunteer, and headed to the Oyster Bar at the grandstand. It has shade and live music. I ordered a Shrimp Remoulade Po-Boy and a diet coke and enjoyed sitting down and refueling. So far, the food has been great! I made it back to the information booth to retrieve my phone and thank the kind lady.
Today is hotter than yesterday. It’s nearing the middle 80’s but there’s the humidity. I go to the cafeteria to cool off. When I get there, I see one lady lying across three chairs she has placed close together. Another man sits near her with his feet up and chin down as he naps. A security guard sits and watches over the area. I find a table underneath an air conditioning vent and put my feet up. A lady wearing a pink cowboy hat that bares a sign reading “Free Hugs” and a volunteer button comes and introduces herself.
“Hi, I’m Mary, I just wanted to say hi, and introduce myself,” she tells me. “Are you new to volunteering?”
“Yes, I came here with a friend of mine that comes every year. So far, it’s been a really good experience. Everyone is so nice,” I smile and tell her. “Are you from the city?”
“Metairie,” she answers, “Where are you from?”
“I live on a small farm around an hour and a half drive North of here outside of Summit, Mississippi. It’s so nice to be around people. I have been to the festival before, but this is my first experience volunteering. I hope to write about it. (I take a card out of my shoulder bag and hand it to her). We visit, sharing our experiences before she heads out. The security guard also came by and checked on me, asking if I was alright. I said yes, just resting. Again, everyone is so kind.
I decided to find my spot in front of the Festival Stage way in the back of the field. There are numbers on each bridge into the field so I took a snapshot of it and sent it to my friend so she could find me. I had picked up a strawberry lemonade and some jambalaya on the way. While I settled in with my private picnic, I watched this large group of people with chairs and blankets connecting them. They were dressed in white linen outfits, matching straw hats and having the best time dancing to the music of Cyril Neville. One of the ladies got up from her chair and came to where I was sitting carrying a large black and gold golf umbrella.
“Hi sweetheart. I want to give this umbrella to you. That little one isn’t going to be adequate on this hot day,” she smiles handing me the umbrella. I had a small compact umbrella that I had brought.
“That is so kind! Thank you so much!” I gush with sincere gratitude. It did make a difference, much cooler.
I saw this group of people repeatedly give umbrella after umbrella out to strangers as generous acts of kindness. It made an impression on me. It’s more than just a music festival. Music seems to bring people together to celebrate life and give a reprieve to the heartache in the world.
My friend was able to find me by the numbered sign on the bridge. We had a great spot with kind people all around. We stayed and listed to Galactic featuring Angelika ‘Jelly’ Joseph. That lady has a set of pipes on her! She also almost had a Janet Jackson wardrobe malfunction and excused herself to fix it. The show went on, she returned and then The Who took the stage. They sounded awesome! We stayed for the first few songs before leaving early. It’s quite a long day with the heat. We make it back to Mississippi with our new experiences and stories and look forward to week number two.
May you never lose hope and may you find peace wherever you go.
Jacqueline White-Ivey
Read my noval about a mother's struggle to acquire mental heathcare for her daughter.
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