Hot times at jazz fest go beyond the music
Some of Jubilee’s older attendees are as amorous as teens
By Deepa Ranganathan — Bee Staff Writer
Published 12:01 am PDT Sunday, May 28, 2006
Story appeared in Metro section, Page B1
IF YOU GO
WHERE: Old Sacramento, Crocker Park (Third and O streets), Convention Center, Crest Theatre, Holiday Inn, Hyatt Regency, Sheraton Grand and Raley Field.
TICKETS: • Four-day all-events badge - $95 general, $50 ages 7-20. Children 6 and younger with an adult are admitted free to all events.
• Single-day badge - Sunday performances, 10 a.m.-11 p.m., $40 general, $20 ages 7-20; after 7 p.m., $25 general, $15 ages 7-20. Monday performances, $18 general, $9 ages 7-20 (free if accompanied by an adult), $9 seniors 60 and older.
RT TROLLEY: • Fares: Light rail is $1.75; 85 cents for riders 62 and older. In the central city zone the fare is $1.
• Routes: Interstate 80 and Watt Avenue to downtown; Folsom to downtown; Meadowview to downtown
• Frequency: Every 15 minutes during the day; every 30 minutes after 7 p.m.; Outbound service will be available until 11:30 p.m. Contact: For additional information, call RT at 321-BUSS.
INFORMATION: Sacramento Traditional Jazz Society: (916) 372-5277 or www.sacjazz.com.
SCHEDULE: To view the complete Jazz Jubilee schedule, please go to www.sacbee.com/links
Four-year-old Hannah Clay of Sacramento gets a close-up view of the saxophone of Ben Hillel of the Ophir Prison Band on Saturday in Old Sacramento. Sacramento Bee/Lezlie Sterling
Couples holding hands. Couples cuddling. Couples kissing in public.
The 33rd annual Sacramento Jazz Jubilee wasn’t much of a teen hot spot Saturday. But the older folks who showed up were amorous as kids at a high school dance.
“What we have is a love affair,” said O.C. Gillham, 65, who drove out from Reno with his wife. The couple married in August, just months after becoming engaged at last year’s Jubilee.
“It’s great at our age,” said Lorraine Gillham, 68. She grabbed her husband, and they danced in a slow circle to “Carolina in the Morning,” right in the middle of Second Street in Old Sacramento.
This year’s Jazz Jubilee, which continues today and Monday, features 105 bands at six sites. The Sacramento Traditional Jazz Society, which organizes the event, predicts a turnout of 80,000 this year — but longtime volunteer Ed Riojas said the crowds were looking a little thin Saturday.
“We need the people,” said Riojas, who was hawking Mardi Gras beads for $1 apiece. “Usually people who attend the Jazz Jubilee are very festive — I mean, they spend! They don’t care about the price.”
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