Last year, Westminster's annual Mother's Day celebration, the Flower and Jazz Festival, expanded from a block party to taking over the entire downtown area. This year, organizers are holding the line, as the citywide event brings artwork, jazz and floral arrangements to the public.
For the past 26 years, the event has been the final hurrah before Mother's Day, an opportunity for procrastinating offspring to pick up that final gift before the holiday. Missie Wilcox, marketing consultant with the City of Westminster, it's that tie to the holiday that made the festival the success that it's become.
"It's like peanut butter and jelly. Flowers and jazz just go together," Wilcox said. "What is a mom's favorite thing to do for Mother's Day? Spend time with her family. This way you can see friends, see family, get great music and great food and dad's off the hook to find a last-minute gift."
The event kicks of with the Flower and Jazz 5K at 9 a.m., while vendor shopping, children's activities and music runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The show will also feature more than 200 vendors, including local artists, restaurants and crafters, as well as gardeners showing off and offering up their selections of flowers and plants. The grounds of the event stretch over a half-mile, from Longwell Avenue through the city to Pennsylvania Avenue.
Music is spread throughout the city, with stages located at the library, BB&T on West Main Street and RockSalt Grille. The library and RockSalt Grille will feature a mixture of local and regional jazz musicians chosen by Bob Coffey, owner of Coffey Music in Westminster, while local schools' jazz bands will perform at the BB&T stage.
Coffey said the headliner for the festival is Chris Vadala and his quartet Eastern Standard Time. Vadala, director of Jazz Studies at the University of Maryland, performed with the Chuck Mangione Quartet throughout the country and across the globe. While with the group, the Quartet earned two Grammys, two Emmys and a Golden Globe. Vadala has also performed with Dizzy Gillespie, Quincy Jones, B.B. King, Chick Corea, Ella Fitzgerald, Aretha Franklin and more.
Vadala said he loves having the opportunity to perform at events like the festival where they have the opportunity to bring jazz to the people.
"It obviously expands our audience," Vadala said. "When you're playing the Blues Alley in D.C., you're getting people who follow jazz. With this, you've got people coming out on what is hopefully a nice day, and we can reach people who might not normally listen to jazz."
Vadala said though he has degrees in classical music, he's been playing jazz since he was in junior high school. He said the more you listen to and perform it, the more it grows on you.
"It's America's genuine music. It all comes down to that and rock and roll," Vadala said. "I don't want to say I'm a crusader, but I love to play it and it feels great to perpetuate an art form that doesn't normally have a large audience, but has a very devoted audience."
Coffey said in addition to the larger names, he likes to tap into Carroll's passionate jazz performers for the annual festival. He said they like to switch up the lineup each year a little bit to keep it fresh while also involving and supporting the student population.
"I love the fact that we can have an event where we get to highlight music downtown," Coffey said. "When it comes to jazz, it's the feel of it. The spontaneity and creativity that allows you to express yourself that makes jazz what it is."
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If You Go
What: Flower and Jazz Festival
When: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, May 13
Where: Downtown Westminster
Cost: Free
For more information: Visit westminstermd.gov/flowerjazz
