THE TWO PHOTOGRAPHS in Jack Kitchen's office tell the tale:One is a black-and-white aerial shot of the Ogontz Plaza shopping center circa 1983, dilapidated, almost entirely deserted and covered in graffiti.
The second is a full-color shot of the same block from the main stage of the 2006 West Oak Lane Jazz and Arts Festival, the clean, thriving storefronts serving as a backdrop for a crowd of more than 100,000 people - despite a weekend-long downpour.
“You never want to forget where you came from," Kitchen explained.
As executive director of OARC, the community-development corporation dedicated to the revitalization of West Oak Lane, Kitchen may need that “before" picture on his wall to remind him of what the neighborhood once was. But walking Ogontz Avenue with Kitchen, the “after" picture comes alive.
Colorful awnings advertise eclectic businesses. Plants are tended by workers sporting hats emblazoned with the Jazz and Arts Festival logo. Local residents approach Kitchen on the street as an old friend.
Celebrating its fifth year in its most impressive incarnation yet, the West Oak Lane Jazz and Arts Festival, this Friday through Sunday, has become “a marketing tool that surpassed my wildest expectations," Kitchen said.
“Last year we expected 150,000, 200,000 people. We got 300,000. This year I don't know what to expect. We've prepared for a crowd of 750,000 just in case."
For more information contact All About Jazz.
