By Madelene Skinner, blog contributor
Jasmine Rhey and I, Madelene Skinner with MadFab Media, have wonderful success stories from coordinating and hosting events at The Jacksonville Landing over the past year. We are the two brands behind the Downtown movements that are creatively breaking barriers for local artists, providing a family-oriented Sunday and crowd-voting for local musicians. The three events – Beautiful Bodies Competition, Sunday Funday at The Landing and the 2nd Annual Friday Night Live at The Landing – all took place over the summer months through the fall. Jasmine and I coordinated and managed these events in the heart of Downtown with the support of our contacts and the passion to pursue our entrepreneurial goals. We are two women motivated and inspired to provide opportunities to local talents through these innovative events.
The Beautiful Bodies competition was a new event and concept to Jacksonville which aspires for talented, “beautiful” people to come forth and share their gifts with the city. Beautiful Bodies took place during the summer First Wednesday Art Walks from June to August, showcasing diverse forms of artistic expression. The event was presented by Naturally Smart Frozen Dessert. Individuals and groups were invited to showcase their talents through art, fashion, fitness and dance for cash prizes and more. It sought to break down barriers and embrace diverse and creative cultures to promote tourism and cultural networking in Jacksonville. During the competition finale Aug. 6, Ra’Shad “Model on Wheels” Solomon, won first place proving all talents despite any disability can be embraced through art. Winners were selected based on the highest guest judges and crowd votes. View the highlights.
Sunday Funday at The Landing was a family-oriented event that took place in August that encouraged family participation along the St. Johns River. This event was held to provide entertainment and activities to the community in a festive, fun atmosphere. Attendees were entertained with DJs, live entertainment, dance and games throughout the day. The event attracted more than 200 attendees who enjoyed live entertainment, great music provided by DJs, food trucks, vendors, games and entertainment throughout the day. A few jewelry vendors were on site to showcase their products to attendees, as well as a non-profit organization, Friends of Pine Forest SOTA Foundation to support the students performing at the event. Games included a hula-hoop contest, musical chairs, guessing the number of marbles in the vase, and freeze dance for $25 restaurant gift cards and raffles for Jacksonville Jaguars tickets.
The 2nd Annual Friday Night Live at The Landing kicked off Friday, Sept. 12, for four weeks of music competition seeking Jacksonville’s most talented bands, singers and musicians to join the fiercest battle in the city. Performers ranging from Country to Rock and Pop to Reggae, battled for crowd and judges’ votes to win cash, a live performance on First Coast Living and recording time at EnnEcho Studios. In its second year, the Downtown music experience provided a platform for local artists to grow their fan base and an opportunity to take it to the next level of performance standards. After three weeks of competition, four groups advanced to the finale based on the highest number of judges and crowd votes. In the finale, the four diverse bands performed on the Coca-Cola Riverfront Stage with 40-minute sets. CLoud9 Vibes was the grand prize winner, with the highest number of votes for the evening, and the diverse crowd of music lovers also enjoyed performances from The Mars Hill Band, Palm Trees and Power Lines, and The Chris Williams Band. Each band had a unique sound for all music lovers to enjoy. View the highlights.
Jasmine Rhey and I are so excited about the future of our Downtown, and we will continue to bring cultural and diverse opportunities to the city. For more information about Jasmine Rhey, local performer/songwriter, event coordinator and host, visit JasmineRhey.com. I am the entrepreneur behind MadFab Media’s public relations, event planning and marketing efforts and can be contacted at marketing@madfab-media.com.
See you soon Downtown!