The night ended with a rhythmic reggae beat pulsing through thick, humid Florida air.
The audience danced in front of the stage below dark clouds and bright stars, the ground under their feet still moist from an afternoon rain shower.
This was the spirit at the 2nd Annual Juneteenth Festival & Juried Art Show, or JFest, at Lincoln Park Saturday and Sunday, said Donna Isaacs, executive director of the Cotton Club Museum and Cultural Center.
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Despite a lower turnout than expected, Isaacs said she felt the event was a success.
The festival celebrates Juneteenth, a day commemorating the emancipation of slaves in the U.S.
The Gainesville festival is put on by the Cotton Club, which works to preserve African-American history and culture.
Isaacs said despite the intense heat and afternoon storms, the event met her high expectations.
The Jamaica native said she especially enjoyed the reggae music played by the final band to take the stage, Iration. She said there was a focus on providing excellent music this year because June is Black Music Month.
Brenda Thomas, a retired administrator of UF's College of Medicine, volunteered at a food stand for her church. Thomas said the variety of entertainment helped to attract more people than last year's festival.
"The diversity definitely is number one, both in the entertainment and, of course, the food," she said with a smile. "The main thing is that people are supporting no matter which side of town they're from."
Thomas said not a lot of students were present. In her opinion, it was a matter of not enough advertising on campuses and laziness on the part of the students.
"I don't think they support the community half as much as they could," she said.
Crystall Robinson, a UF health education and behavior senior, said she heard about the history of Juneteenth and the local festival through the African-American female student organization Sistuhs, Inc.
"I don't think a good number of students heard about the event," Robinson said.
She suggested the festival's organizers should have circulated information about the event through a listserv like Gator Times or at local places where many students volunteer.
About 50 tents filled with art exhibits were set up at the festival, where artists could display and sell their work.
Famed Florida artists the Highwaymen were one of the most popular exhibits at the show with their many landscapes of Florida highway scenes.
Willie C. Reagan, an original Highwayman and a Florida Hall of Fame artist, showcased his work.
His landscapes wore small labels with prices ranging from $350 to $2,000, but Reagan said he didn't bother to bring his larger, more expensive paintings with him.
"With the economy like it is, they're not spending that kind of money," he said.
With such variety of entertainment and art at the free event, Isaacs said she wondered why she did not reach her goal for attendance at the festival.
There were no more than about 500 people in attendance at any given time on Saturday, and no more than about 200 at any time on Sunday.
"There's no reason why we couldn't have 10,000 people a day at this festival," she said.
Next year, she hopes to do a better job of reaching out to college students.
The event already has a Facebook page, and Isaacs hopes to get students involved with the project earlier on during the planning phase for next year, though she doesn't have an exact plan yet.
"Once they come, I know they will be thrilled," she said.
