Food, music and fun enliven Sistrunk Historical Festival
FORT LAUDERDALE — Food, music and thousands swaying in the fun also served as a reason for Poncho and Gucci Blue to hit the streets Saturday.
The green-winged and the blue hyacinth macaws were among the festival attendees at the Sistrunk Historical Festival, riding on the shoulders of childhood friends Marco Benzo and Gucci Bob, both of Fort Lauderdale.
“It’s for the kids,” Bob said. He leaned closer to Jaiden Campbell, 5, and bent down so Jaiden could touch a red wing. “You want to touch him?”
The 38th annual street festival drew 63 vendors, community acts such as the purple-draped dance troupe, the Divine Elites, and national-touring acts, such as the The Dazz Band, famous for “Let it Whip.”
Jaiden’s dad, Perez Campbell of Deltona, likes the music, but the food is even better, he said.
By early Saturday evening, four hours in, he’d already consumed conch salad, fried wings, a cinnamon swirly thing, funnel cake, a Philly cheesesteak sandwich and a slushy.
And he wasn’t even near done, he said.
“There’s good Bahamian food here,” he said. “Once you try it you will come back for the food.”
Sistrunk Boulevard was blocked off from Northwest Ninth Avenue to Northwest 27th Avenue at various times throughout the day as the action flowed. It started at 7 a.m. with a 5-kilometer run and then a parade that included marching bands, drill teams and ROTC units from various Broward County schools, along with floats ridden by local business owners and politicians.
Later, the air was heavy with the smell of barbecued meats of all kinds in addition to other specialties like jerk chicken and pickled sausage.
Henrietta Davis, vice chairwoman of the festival, said she was pleased with the turnout. The only snafu involved the parade running into street barricades that should have been taken up, she said.
The street was filled with signs reminding festivalgoers of the area’s local history. Outside the Eula Johnson House, for example, one could learn how Johnson had been the first female president of the local NAACP and led the fight to allow AfricanAmericans onto the beaches that had been restricted to whites only. Now her name is on the only state park to bear African American names, Dr. Von D. Mizell-Eula Johnson State Park.
Travonna Copeland, coach of the dance troupe of girls ages 5 to 17, Divine Elites, said she’s going to make the festival a regular stop.
“It was amazing,” she said of the crowd’s reception. “We’ll be back next year.”