by Bailey White
Staff Writer
Twelve years ago, when the first Downtown Dazzle was held, the St. James Building was vacant and Hemming Plaza probably wasn’t the first place most people would have considered for a party.
“It was a time when there was nothing downtown,” said architect Jack Diamond, who serves as chairman of this year’s event. “We were trying to show how important downtown could be to the overall community.”
Now, the Jacksonville Museum of Modern Art, which is undergoing renovations, and the future site of the Main Library will serve as a back drop for the April 5 event.
“We’re kicking off six weeks of festivals in the downtown area and we’re excited to be a part of that,” said Diamond.
The River City Big Band, featuring Suzy Park and the Girlfriends on vocals, will provide the music, and Northbank and Southbank restaurants will contribute to the “Taste of Downtown,” for the evening’s food.
Proceeds from this year’s ticket sales will benefit the St. Johns River City Band and its home on Hemming Plaza, the Snyder Music Center. The building is celebrating its 100-year anniversary with $2 million worth of renovations.
“We’re protecting the historic integrity of the building, and it’s going through a lot of beautification,” said Bobbi McGinnis, executive director of St. John’s River City Band. “It’s an intimate venue and different than anything else downtown. The acoustics will be wonderful and there will be a nice reception area,” she said.
“We’re going to focus on that area of the park,” said Diamond. “We’ll turn it into a festive area with unique lighting and open up that intersection.”
Party-goers will be able to take a hard hat tour of the music center and the museum.
A silent auction during the event will benefit the Downtown Council of the Chamber of Commerce’s scholarship fund.
“We’ll have things like dinners for two, weekends away — a lot of highly desirable items,” said Melanie White, the auction’s coordinator. “That’s part of what made the last one such a success.”
For details, call 355-4700.