25747: Hermantin(News)Haitian music festival scheduled for Aug. 5 (North Miami)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: leonie hermantin <lhermantin@hotmail.com>

Posted on Sun, Jul. 17, 2005



Haitian music festival scheduled for Aug. 5


Herald Staff Report

A free music festival marking the 50th anniversary of Haitian compas music has 
been tentatively scheduled for Aug. 5 in North Miami's Griffing Park.

''North Miami has become more of a little Haiti than we have in Miami now,'' 
said organizer Carline Paul. ``We're trying to build a bridge of culture, and 
we invite non-Haitians to come and understand these new cultures.''

The festival is scheduled noon to 7 p.m. at the park, on West Dixie Highway, 
north of NE 122nd Street. The city council approved the request to use the 
park, but said organizers must buy liability insurance and negotiate with city 
police to pay for security.

Paul said organizers are tallying the costs to see if sponsors will pay for the 
free event and will decide this week if it's feasible. A musical line-up will 
be announced then, she said.

Several council members at the July 12 meeting said the city needed more time 
to prepare and organizers should have approached them sooner. Some radio ads 
for the event were aired before the city was approached, council member Jacque 
Despinosse said.

''It looks like they went too far and they should have come to us first,'' 
Despinosse said. Paul responded that organizers have been trying to set up the 
show for a month but the city's procedures were not clear.

Paul said between 1,500 and 2,000 people are expected to attend the event.