Renetta's Blog: Gary's Jackson tribute

GARY, Ind. (WLFI) - Renetta DuBose is at Gary, Indiana's tribute to Michael Jackson. She'll be sending us photos and updates about the event.

Renetta's fourth blog update, Friday, 10:40 p.m.

Shortly after Gary’s tribute to pop icon Michael Jackson began, Indiana State Senator Earline Rogers paid her respects. She also extended written condolences from United States Senator Evan Bayh and Congressman Pete Visclosky.

“Michael became an international superstar. His music inspired many and influenced pop culture. There will never be another like him, “Bayh wrote.

Former Miss Indiana Kelly Patterson sang and was accompanied by dancer Armetric Barbor to the tunes “Scream,” “Bad,” and “The Way You Make Me Feel.”

There were about a dozen acts, including singers and dancers.  All paid tribute to the pop star with his songs, classic clothing style and dance moves, including the famous moon walk. 

Three Gary residents who knew Michael as a child gave a brief description of what he was “back then,” including a Gary Community School Corporation teacher who said she was credited with teaching the King of Pop his first tune.

Anita Hill taught Michael music at Garnett. She said he sang “Climb Every Mountain” in 1967.

Rev. Jesse Jackson brought the poem “I am somebody” to the crowd in honor of Michael Jackson.

Rev. Al Sharpton, who was expected to attend, did not show.

Gary native and singer Denise Williams sang her song “Black Butterfly,” which she said reminds her of Michael Jackson’s growth.  She said she would like to see the Performing Arts Center built in Gary that Michael Jackson mentioned on his visit to Gary in 2003.

Fred "The Hammer" Williamson gave a special tribute to another Gary native who recently passed, Karl Malden. 

As a good friend of Mayor Rudy Clay, Williamson said he has already asked to see the Michael Jackson event annually.

The showstopper group was a gang of ghouls.

The Hammond Family Christian Center’s Praise Dancers danced to the hit song “Thriller.” The dancers dressed and acted just like the actual video.

In the final act, singers dressed in black and white held candles and sang “We Are the World.”
Crowds began leaving the stadium after 8:30 p.m.

That left the last leg of performers, The Chi Lites mainly singing to empty seats.

Mayor Rudy Clay said in an earlier interview that the entire event may cost the city $0.  He said several volunteers contributed to the memorial.

Renetta's third blog update, Friday, 6:30 p.m.

Gary set to honor Michael Jackson

 The stage is set. The seats are filled. Standing room only is packed. And thousands of fans are ready to party. Cheers can be heard from throughout the ballpark as Michael Jackson’s music plays as well. While some are dressed in t-shirts and hats, many are paying their respects with a single white glove.

The event opened with the posting of the colors, the singing of the National Anthem, prayer and an air show.

Before the event, Rev. Jesse Jackson and songbird Denise Williams joined Mayor Rudy Clay and local law enforcement for a press conference.

Key West Communications Consultant John Key shared who would take the stage for the evening affair. Scheduled performers include local and regional artists, speakers and members of the Jackson family. Joe Jackson and at least another well known Jackson are expected to attend, according to Key.

Former Miss Indiana Kelly Patterson is one of the scheduled performers.
The event will also include a few video presentations and a Q&A with neighbors from Jackson Street and those who knew the Jacksons include Michael’s music teacher here in Gary.
Williams said she will perform her song, “Black Butterfly” because it reminds her of her friend, Michael.

Williams said she and Michael share their beginning in music and in the city of Gary.
“When I released the single ‘Love is Tears,’ Michael released ‘You’re a Big Boy Now,’” said Williams.

The Jacksons and Williams went on to California, with Williams passing up her dream to attend Purdue University to study nursing.  Williams went on to say that she and Michael, being Midwest artist, share a strong compassion for music because of their life in Gary.

Rev. Jesse Jackson stressed the importance of “the little white house” on 2300 Jackson Street and how it made Michael and the Jacksons successful. He said the discipline and hard work Joe Jackson instilled in his boys may them who they are today.
Mayor Clay also talked about the home.

“You are in the city where 2300 Jackson Street is. As the song says it’s always home. Michael Jackson put Gary on a global map,” said Clay.

When asked if Michael Jackson would be buried in Gary, Clay simply said, I do not know the answer to that question.
 

The Fans
Matt Gaskill, of Portage, showed up in his black, gold and white King of Pop t-shirt. He said he came to tonight’s event because he grew up listening to all of Michael Jackson’s songs, his favorite being “Thriller.” He looks forward to the singers and dancers who will perform.
While he never got the chance to meet Jackson, he said his wife went to school with Michael and Marlon.

25-year-old Gary resident Tanequa Long attended the Jackson tribute because she said she loves Michael. She said her favorite songs include Beat It and Black or White.
While wearing a single white glove, she said she will miss the pop singer’s videos the most.

Renetta's first blog update, Friday 3:00 p.m.

Ask anyone from Gary, Indiana what the first response is when strangers ask them where they are from and they will tell you, Michael Jackson.

The international pop singer, born and raised until the age of 11 in Gary, will receive a memorial fit for a “king” this evening. The city of Gary will host the event downtown, at the USS Steel Yard, home of the Gary SouthShore RailCats, which is the city’s independent league baseball team.

The event is set to begin at 6:00 p.m. Central Standard Time. Gates will open at 4:00 p.m.

“This is going to be a Jackson Family Reunion,” said John Key, with Key West Communications.

Key, who was contracted by the city to facilitate the media, said so far there are 13 to 14 acts lined up for the two and a half hour show. Performers and speakers include, but are not limited to, Joe Jackson, the patriarch of the Jackson family, Jesse Jackson, Rev. Al Sharpton, singer and Gary native Denise Williams, a group reenacting Michael Jackson’s “Thriller,” and a 500 person choir. Key said city and regional talent are flowing in with acts and speeches throughout the day.

All will take to a 32 x 40 stage in front of crowds at the baseball stadium, which seats approximately 6,000 and an overflow at the Genesis Convention Center, also located in downtown Gary. Standing room only is expected at the ballpark.

Key said there will also be a performance of Jackson’s song “We Are The World,” which he claims will trump the one at the memorial held at the Staples Center in Los Angeles Tuesday.

While the mechanical details are falling into place inside the stadium, fans are camping outside at the front gates. As many as 30 people or so where waiting at 8:30 a.m. Vendors selling cold bottled water and T-shirts with the King of Pop on them line 5th Avenue, where the baseball stadium is located.

At 3:00 p.m., there will be a press conference at the ballpark. Gary Mayor Rudy Clay and Jesse Jackson are expected to attend, according to Key.

Key said while the acts keep growing, Mayor Clay hopes to wrap the event up by 9:00 p.m.

For more on the Michael Jackson memorial in Gary, Indiana, check this blog.

 

Renetta's Second Blog Update: 4:00 p.m. :Old Jackson home could bring Indiana revenue

T-shirts - $15, buttons - three for $10, posters, Michael Jackson’s “Bad” album or video of his Greatest Hits, anywhere from $10 to $20.

All of this paraphernalia can be purchased at 2300 Jackson Street, the Gary, Indian home Michael grew up in with the Jackson 5, siblings and parents Joe and Katherine.

But for Wathena, Kansas resident Debbie Eversgerd, the trip to the home is priceless.

Eversgerd said she made the nine and a half hour drive after work yesterday for herself and her daughter, who is in college.

“She is just heartbroken, “said Eversgerd, while fighting back tears.

With poster in hand and a water bottle, Eversgerd said she is most ecstatic about the Jackson family that will show up at the memorial tonight.

Eversgerd is just one of several people who have come from around the country to see where the Jacksons once lived.

Vendors know this and have seized the moment.

Four booths face the house, which sits on the corner of 23rd and Jackson Street. Two booths constantly play music and show video of the King of Pop’s famous hits.

One vendor said visitors can purchase three Michael Jackson albums, a mixed compact disc of his greatest hits, videos or a poster for as low as $10 and as much as $20. You can even purchase Jackson's glittery glove.

A second vendor claims he has been interviewed by countless local and non-local members of the media.

The sales went on non-stop between 9:00 a.m. and 10:00 a.m.

The cash exchanged at the now famous 2300 Jackson Street is not the only income the economically starved city of Gary can expect to see. People from all over the country are expected to attend the tribute at USS Steel Yard in downtown Gary, where more vendors are located. There are also places to eat; Bennigan’s Grill and Tavern, Dusties, a soul-food buffet and Kenny’s Ribs, which would also bring more money into the city. Of course, there are filling stations and mini-marts, all ready to service those coming to pay their respects.

But like Eversgerd, who perhaps would have never driven to the state of Indiana had Michael Jackson not passed, the recent fan rush to see the home means economic development for the entire state.

While Michael Jackson puts Gary on the map, even in his death, the occasion could also mean people will continue to see what the city of steel is all about post-memorial.

Now that she is here, Eversgerd is finding out that the city has more to offer than its murder capital status it received a few years ago.

“This is a pretty friendly community. I get a homey feeling here,” said Eversgerd.

The street leading to the Jackson Street home has been closed to traffic and onlookers have to park one block away and walk.

Along with purchases, people are snapping photos, taking video and granting media interviews.

Signs, stuffed animals, candles and other odd gifts have been attached to, propped up on and laid in front of the home, which has been blocked off by yellow caution tape.

But sadness still looms in the midst of the money-making adventure.

For Eversgerd, she came to Gary for the memorial because she regrets never going to a Jackson concert. She said the artist came to Kansas in 1993, but she was unable to see him.

As she looks forward to fellowshipping with other fans, she said she will always remember how this sweet little boy grew into a man right before her eyes. Although she is deeply saddened because she believes Jackson died thinking the United States hated him because of all the rumors, she said she represents one of the many fans who, in fact, loved him.

There is a police officer watching the home and its visitors. The city has asked that people coming to see the home respect those who still live in the area.

It is unknown at this time who owns the home at 2300 Jackson Street.

Update, Friday 11:35 p.m.
In a second interview with Mayor Rudy Clay, he explained the status of the home on 2300 Jackson Street and its future.

Even though the home on the newly named Jackson Family Boulevard looks empty as the backdrop for dozens of gifts, an uncle to Michael Jackson still resides there, according to Mayor Clay.

Clay said his hope for the home has two parts.

The city of Gary would like to build a museum on six acres of land near Interstate 80/94. Clay said the museum would house a replica of the 2300 Jackson Street home. He said it would be built by private developers.

The second vision is to make the two-block radius surrounding the home into an historic district. Clay said it would cost $1 million, paid for through a Community Development Block Grant.

Clay said the home has brought fans from as far as Nigeria, Ireland, Germany and Canada.