Cincinnati group Ram-Z opens the first night of the Coors Light Jazz Festival at Cinergy Field on Friday. (Ernest Coleman photo) | ZOOM |

        The Coors Light Jazz Festival and Ujima Cinci-Bration street party got off to a slow start Friday evening but picked up later, as flashy cars and even more dazzling patrons began crowding downtown streets.

        Just an hour before the jazz festival was to begin at Cinergy Field, the nearby parking lots that last year were jammed with buses, RVs and out-of-state vehicles were less than half-full.

        Many festivalgoers who did come downtown for the kickoff of the three-day event blamed the April riots and violent protests for spoiling the party.

        “This is sad,” said Don Goodgames, of Southgate, who took a group of friends downtown for their first Coors Light Jazz Festival but encountered sparse crowds on Walnut Street about 7 p.m.

        “I'm used to seeing wall-to-wall cars and flashy clothes, but there's hardly anybody here. The riots and all the violence have ruined it.”

        Ujima's 150 vendors, stage and restaurants line Fifth Street from Race Street to Fountain Square and beyond. The festival's events extend to 2 a.m. and coincide with the Coors Light concert at Cinergy Field.

        The riots and their aftermath were on the minds of some festivalgoers who nevertheless traveled several hours to attend Ujima and the music festival.

        Several visitors Friday afternoon said they remembered the TV news clips showing rioters breaking glass and looting buildings, and many said they knew there was a call to boycott the annual events.

        “I probably wouldn't be here if I wasn't here on business,” said Doris Davis, a product manager for Colgate Palmolive Co. in New York — a sponsor of the Coors Light concerts.

The Coors Light Jazz Festival attracted (from left) Luther Harris of Wilder, Rich Hewton of Cincinnati, Don Goodgames of Southgate and Tracey Stewart of Covington. (Brandi Stafford photo) | ZOOM |

        “We've heard about the riots,” Mrs. Davis said. “We've been dealing with some of the same issues in New York, in terms of police shootings. It just doesn't create a very festive atmosphere.”

        Mrs. Davis and her husband, Kim, stopped by Rock Bottom Restaurant & Brewery on Fountain Square after reading about the restaurant's open house to welcome Ujima and Coors Light festival goers. Eight downtown restaurants participated in the joint open house, offering free appetizers to partygoers from 4 to 6 p.m.

        The restaurants also agreed to donate 2 percent of their sales over the weekend to pay for school supplies for Cincinnati Public Schools.

        A spokeswoman described the restaurants' actions as “pro-active” measures taken to avoid further controversy, because at least 14 downtown restaurants closed during last year's Ujima festival.

        Friday afternoon, restaurant operators held open houses that attracted few festival patrons.

        “There's always a little lull just before the festival weekend starts,” Joe Petricca, general manager at Rock Bottom, said Friday about 5:30 p.m. “Most of the people we have in here now are the people we have in here every Friday night.”

Festivalgoers crowd Fountain Square Friday night. (Ernest Coleman photo) | ZOOM |

        Despite the unrest, some people came for the festivals anyway because Cincinnati is one of the few cities that offers such a large street festival and concert combination, they said. Some visitors questioned the value of boycotting an event organized by fellow African-Americans.

        “At first, we weren't going to come,” said Jackie Brice, 46, of Buffalo, N.Y.

        “I didn't want to be in the middle of chaos. (But) I checked on the Internet. The more I read, the more it got better. We said we'd give it a try, and so far, so good,” she said.

        Lt. Kurt Byrd of the Cincinnati Police Division said that as of 10:30 p.m., there had been 18 arrests related to Ujima.

        Eleven adults and seven juveniles were arrested. One adult was arrested on a felony drug charge of possession of crack cocaine. One juvenile was arrested for a felony probation violation.

        All the other charges were misdemeanors, mainly disorderly conduct.

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