RSSHuckleberry Jam to bridge Native and Latin cultures
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Rap music will echo from the stage. Custom cars will be on display. Teams will run the court in a three-on-three basketball tournament, and skateboarders will vie for a spot in a national competition.
Welcome to Huckleberry Jam, a combination of events geared to bridge the contemporary cultures of Native Americans and Latinos that will be held this weekend at State Fair Park in Yakima.
Cultural foods and crafts also will be available, and cash awards will be handed out to the winners of the various competitions.
Organizers expect thousands to attend.
Over the past decade, inner-city clothing styles and music have been largely adopted by Native Americans, and the hip-hop culture continues to grow in Indian Country.
The idea of the large event spawned from Jaime Scott, a Warm Springs tribal member with local ties. He's been involved in the music industry the past 15 years, said Jordan Gilbert, a University of Kansas graduate who is organizing the event with him. The two men recently formed F5 Promotions, which will put on such events and is in the midst of promoting a handful of CDs produced by Native American artists, he said.
"His dream is to put something on of this magnitude," Gilbert said of Scott.
Events begin at 10 a.m. Friday with the All-Nations Skatejam Northwest Qualifier at Chesterley Park at 40th Avenue and River Road. For $5, skaters will have a chance to display their rail-grinding, gravity-defying moves to compete for a spot in next spring's All Nations Skatejam in Albuquerque, N.M.
But the bulk of the event will begin at noon Saturday at the fairgrounds at Fair Avenue and Nob Hill Boulevard, where both Latin and Native American rap artists, food and craft vendors, basketball and a car show will highlight activities.
An indoor concert featuring rap artists Brown Boy, Gemini, MC Magic (of NB Ridaz) and Chingo Bling, JSK and Rez Hogs also is on tap.
The three-on-three basketball tournament will break teams into age groups and level of expertise, with cash prizes totaling $2,500.
A car show will offer $2,000 in cash prizes. A fun area for kids with games and inflatable rides will also be offered.
Gilbert said 500 tickets for the event had already been sold by Tuesday in Yakima, which usually has a poor showing of pre-sales for such events. He figures the pre-sold tickets represent only about 10 percent of the crowd that will actually show up.
Entrance fees are $15 per person or $5 for outside events only. There are other fees for those competing in events.
If you go
WHAT: Huckleberry Jam, a festival of culture, heritage, music and sports.
WHEN & WHERE: All events at the Yakima Valley SunDome, 1301 S. Fair Ave., unless otherwise noted.
* 10 a.m. today -- All Nations Skatejam Northwest Qualifier at the skate park at Chesterley Park, 40th Avenue and River Road.
* Noon Saturday -- Three-on-three basketball tournament.
* Noon Saturday -- Car show. (Load-in and registration: 6 a.m.-noon.)
* 7 p.m. Saturday -- Hip-hop concert featuring Chingo Bling, Gemini, A-Wax, Rez Hogs and the Stoned Kings, among others.
INFO/TICKETS: Complete festival and ticket information, plus registration forms, are available at www.thehuckleberryjam.com, or call the Huckleberry Hotline at 901-3681.
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