The Taming of a Wild West Town by an Editorial and a group of Dedicated Jazz Fans.
The Coleman Hawkins Jazz Society got its start in the late summer of 1998 with a touch of whine without cheese.
St. Joe News-Press columnist Alonzo Weston left that year's Trails West! Festival lamenting the fact that every St. Joseph festival had something to do with the Old West or a famous bank robber. Why couldn't Joetown find something or someone to celebrate that adds a touch of class to this fine city? That column caused quite a stir.
Not normally known for his diplomacy, then Editorial Page Editor Mark Sheehan of the same newspaper followed with a column that suggested St. Joseph would do well to celebrate the historic life of Coleman Hawkins, a bona fide jazz legend and Joetown native. The column included a challenge for all takers to show up at the News-Press on the next Saturday morning to start work on the festival.
Alonzo's lament worked better than anyone could have expected. More than 30 jazz fans showed up for the first meeting and immediately began work on the group's first mini-festival that November. Success bred more energy, and soon the new jazz society was working on the first official June jazz festival for 1999.
The Coleman Hawkins Jazz
Society has grown in numbers and projects. In addition to the annual June festival, the group sponsors a fall fund raiser to keep the festival free. In recent years, the society has organized a Mardi Gras Parade to raise money. An added fall Blues Festival is a great success. The
society also sponsors annually a Coleman Hawkins All-Star High School Band and artist-in-the- classroom activities.
is held) has been amended to include the official title of "Coleman Hawkins Park", the society has brought a statue of the jazz legend to the park.
Now that the name of Felix Street Square in downtown St. Joseph (where the June festival
