Location: Westgate Park, 455 S. Westgate Ave., Columbus, Ohio 43204.

This was my second year attending Summer Jam West (held at Westgate Park), an annual free music and arts festival. It brought back memories of walking to Westgate Park from my grandparents’ house to play basketball. It was hot as fire outside. Zoo Trippin, a local blues/rock group, was performing in the background. In between songs, the lead singer shared some of his memories of the West side. While listening to Zoo Trippin, I talked with a few of the festival participants.

Click on the links to see the interviews with Esther Flores of 1DivineLife2Health, John Rush of Clean Turn Enterprises, and William Huffman of Friends of the Hilltop.

Other activities for children of all ages.

I paused to listen to the microphone check of Honey and Blue. The vocals were fantastic! While interviewing Rashid Hill, their music entertained me. If it weren’t so hot, I would have stayed for the entire set.

A big attraction of this festival is the live chalk art.

Why do you do this?

I like to do this because it’s performance art. It engages people. It makes them ask questions. I like to intrigue people.

What are you doing?

I’m out here trying to get a picture of Bruce Lee going and not pass out. I found out I like pavement art and it’s free advertisement. People get to know who I am and see some of my work. I like interacting with people who admire my work.

What are you doing?

3D Monsters Inc. Raz. 3D chalk art from a specific perspective. You have to stand in one spot to see it correctly. Every other angle it is going to look skewed. I started in 2006. Up until 2012, I only did one a year. In 2012 I started doing 8 a year. Within the last two years I learned how to do 3D.

My take on Summer Jam West 2018:

This is one of my favorite festivals because they pack a lot in a smaller area. If you want to sit in the shade and listen to music, it offers that. If you want to find out about organizations in the Hilltop area, it offers that. If you want your children to participate in free activities, it offers that. If you want to talk to local artists and/or purchase their art, it offers that. If you want to buy food from local food trucks, it offers that. So suffice to say, Summer Jam West is the place to be!