Plainfield Rec's Pre-Kwanzaa event a big hit

Mayor Adrian O. Mapp addresses the crowd at
Saturday's Pre-Kwanzaa event.

Kwanzaa symbols on display.

 

 

Left scrambling after the Plainfield shool district declined to make Emerson or Washington Schools available for the city's annual Kwanzaa event as they had in past years, the city's Recreation Division came up with a dream location -- the duCret School of Arts auditorium.

Hundreds jammed the auditorium for this year's pre-Kwanzaa event on Saturday (Kwanzaa itself starts on December 26).

Craftspeople and other vendors lined the walls, live music was on hand, and food and fellowship were shared as hundreds packed the auditorium to celebrate the festival.

The crowd was greeted by Mayor Adrian O. Mapp, who gave short remarks and welcomed all to the celebration.

Recreation Superintendent Veronica Taylor says she was thrilled with both the turnout and the location. "Parking has always been an issue in the past," Taylor said, "and has sometimes annoyed neighbors, but the duCret School has a magnificent parking lot and we had absolutely no issues at all."

Sounds like a winner to me.

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  -- Dan Damon [follow]

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