Culture & Community | Dixwell | International Festival of Arts & Ideas | Arts & Culture | Arts & Anti-racism | Elm City Freddy Fixer Parade | Dixwell Community Q House
Reese Mcleod, Diane X. Brown, and Nick Wantsala take a moment to pose together in the midst of the celebration. Alisha Martindale Photos.
The sun was shining and the beats were bumping at the Dixwell Freddy Fixer Neighborhood Festival last Saturday, held outside the Dixwell Community Q House for the third year in a row. With over 40 vendors in attendance, the festival pulled out the stops, including live music, children's activities, line-dancing, and a couture fashion show.
"It's my village," said Stetson Library Branch Manager Diane X. Brown, who has helped plan the festival for years. "It's my community. See the people out? See the children out? It's about bringing people together. I look forward to it."
Like last year, it was held as part of a three-day Freddy Fixer weekend and a collaboration with the International Festival of Arts & Ideas. From the opening drums to the final strains of laughter, hundreds of attendees celebrated the neighborhood, catching up with each other between dance lessons, musicians, and a concrete plaza that transformed into a runway.
From the beginning of the day, attendees jumped right into dance and fitness lessons by various trainers and instructors throughout the day. On the patio, Scheri Walker got everyone moving during a line-dancing lesson.
Meanwhile, DJ Platinum of 94.3 WYBC kept the mood up and up throughout the day by spinning both old-school classics and contemporary bops.
Sherrill Rodman, Beverly Huckaby, and Mary Beamon enjoed watching the line-dancing from the sidelines.
"This is my first event at "The Q", but I've been line-dancing since 2002" said Huckaby.
Shawnbow Hannans carefully supervised the handiwork of a face painter in the shade of a kid's craft tent on the Q House Plaza campus.
Walking through the festivities, Jennifer Tillman introduced herself as a lifelong New Havener. To her, the festival was important "to bring community together and to know that there are positive things that can happen—that New Haven isn't only about negative things," she said.
That was also true for friends Rosetta Washington, Tonya Irby-Langley, and Kyarah Langley, who paused to take a group shot together while admiring the family heirlooms Rosetta had delicately incorporated into her graduation tassel.
As in years past, Hamden-based clothing designer Donald Carter took center stage as he introduced models wearing his fabulous designs. Carter, who was the artistic director for this year's Freddy Fixer Parade, has known Brown for decades, and has over the years called his involvement in the festival an honor.
Elsewhere, Amaira Baines impressed attendees—and herself—with her jump rope skills. Nearby, first time attendee Jerell Baines said he was enjoying "all the free stuff!" He praised a family reunion vibe that has become part of the event over the years.
"I see a lot of my friends and aunts and students here so it's been a lot of fun," he said. "The music is good too!"
Hood Hula Founder Diamond Tree also soaked in the sun, with the lessons that have become a signature part of the festival. During the Freddy a day later, attendees could spot her on the side of the parade, with multiple hoops going at once.
Elsewhere, IfeMichelle Gardin, Pamela Jaynez, and Marlene Miller-Pratt said the most important reason to host events like these are to bring the community together in a positive light. Jaynez and Miller-Pratt are two of the visionaries behind the New Haven Botanical Garden of Healing.
"It's just great when everyone can come together in a positive way and show leadership to our young people," they said.
Yet again, the festival showed that the Freddy Fixer weekend is so rooted in community that friends from as far as New York City return year after year to show support.
Retired New Haven Police Captain Odelle Cohen (pictured at center) came out as one of those community members. To this day, he is the bridge that unites this group of both active and retired New York City Police officers.
"We used to march way back when we could march in uniform," he said. "We manage to make sure we come every year."