Building African American Minds held its first BAAM Fest on Saturday, April 18, 2015, from 12 to 4 p.m. at Idlewild Park in Easton, MD. Over 700 people attended the event, enjoying informational booths, musical entertainment by the Baltimore/Washington-based reggae dance group Mama Jama and DJ Randy, dancing by Easton Elementary School Hot Tigerz, giveaways and door prizes, face painting, a clown show, fitness activities, a basketball tournament, and a rap contest. Free food was provided by Pepsi Bottling Ventures, LLC.
Pictured are the BAAM students giving their BAAM Pledge at the start of the BAAM Fest at Idlewild Park in Easton, MD.
The Fest celebrated the partners BAAM has collaborated with in helping African American males become productive, confident citizens through positive academic, social, emotional, and spiritual experiences as children and young men. Among the partners who participated were Chesapeake Multicultural Resource Center, TriLife Christian Center, Easton Utilities, the Talbot County Department of Social Services, the Talbot County Health Department, Talbot County Free Library, Talbot County Sheriff’s Department, the Easton Police Department, YMCA of the Chesapeake, Academy Art Museum, Jazzercise, Talbot Mentors, Choices for Pregnancy, and the Town of Easton. The following is a list of the many partners and businesses that made a contribution that made the event so successful:
- Easton Elementary School
- Tents 4 Rent
- Jazzercise
- Black Osgood
- Freedom Rowers
- Bay Imprints
- Easton Utilities
- Easton Bike Shop
- Acme
- Jeremy Joseph
- Orion Safety Products
- Frase’s Meat Shop
- Hill’s Drug Store
- Makema Grimes
- RBC Wealth Management
- Olde Towne Creamery
- Rue 21
- Regina Limberry-Dawson
- DJ Randy
- Tim Dean/Pepsi Bottling Ventures, LLC
- Talbot County Board of Education
- Daly Family
- Earth Origins
- Spurry’s Tire Service
- Talbot County Chamber of Commerce
- Sandy Franz
- Shearer the Jeweler
- Fitness RX
- United Fund of Talbot County
- Town of Easton
- Creative Cuts
- Docs Downtown Grille
- Triton Entertainment
- Safeway
- Giant
- Miranda’s Shoes
- Food Lion
- Chesapeake Bowling Lanes
- Swank
- Wet Dog Car Wash
- JoJo’s Cupcakes
- Jiffy Lube
- BJ’s Nail and Spa
- Bob Evans
- Auto Zone
- What’s New Book Store in Denton
- Staples
- Shear Elegance Beauty Salon
- Easton Movie Theater
- Hair and Beauty Restoration by Lisa Wilson
- Jennyz Nails
- Joe’s Bagels
- Fade 2 Black Express Hair/Barbershop
- Crown By Pass Gas Station
- Green Phoenix Store
- Alice Palmer
- Lenwood Hayman
Photo on front:Pictured are BAAM students, Keynon Jones and Robert Thompson enjoying homemade ice cream from the Highland Creamery of Oxford, MD.
BAAM is supported by many generous donors and by the United Fund of Talbot County. For information about how you can get involved with BAAM, contact Debbi Short at 410-714-3838 or visit BAAM’s Facebook page.
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