Massillon Museum to host annual summer Island Party
The family-friendly evening is free and open to everyone.
The Massillon Museum’s annual Island Party will be Friday, July 15 in downtown Massillon. The family-friendly evening will be free and open to everyone. No reservations are necessary.
The gates will open at 5:30 p.m. Food and beverage service will begin about 6 p.m., and reggae music will fill the air from 7:30-11 p.m. Rudy Turkal will emcee the show. Steel drums and fire entertainers will add to the festivities.
Carlos Jones and the Peace, Love and Unity Syndicate will return to the Island Party stage, this time on Duncan Plaza next to the museum. They deliver reggae with lyrics that concentrate on a message of peace and harmony within the human race and the environment. The music includes many original songs and an array of Bob Marley, Culture and other recognizable covers. Voted the Best Reggae/Ska Band in Northeast Ohio by the Scene Magazine readers’ poll, Carlos Jones and the PLUS Band have appeared onstage with The Wailers and Ziggy Marley.
The event will span the museum’s lawn, Gessner Hall in the museum and Duncan Plaza. There are two entrances to the party — one on Lincoln Way East near the front corner of the museum building and the second in Duncan Plaza near the municipal parking lot.
Drivers who want to drop off guests at an additional handicap access may enter First Street from Tremont, drop off passengers and turn onto Charles Avenue to find parking in other city lots and the parking deck. A map of parking options is available on the museum’s website at www.massillonmuseum.org.
A Caribbean supper of pulled-pork sandwiches, jerk chicken, hot dogs, fruit and chips will be offered for sale. The cash bar will offer beer including Jamaican Red Stripe and an island draft from Massillon’s Paradigm Shift, frozen margaritas, wine, water, and soft drinks. Cash and credit cards will be accepted. No outside food, beverages or coolers may be brought into the party.
Irie Island Jamaican Restaurant will be onsite to serve mac and cheese and plantains.
Picnic tables will be scattered throughout the party area, and permanent seating is available at Duncan Plaza, but guests are encouraged to bring their own lawn chairs or blankets.
Admission will be free and open to the public. Tropical souvenirs, glow items, leis and 2022 Island Party T-shirts designed by artist Jess Bennett will be available for sale.
In keeping with the museum’s environmentally conscious tradition, recyclable products will be used, extra recycling bins will be provided and refillable Island Party water bottles will be sold.
In collaboration with a Stark Parks initiative, the Island Party has been designated a tobacco-free event.
Hula hoops and limbo lines will challenge all ages. Children’s activities will be free, but parents must remain in the children’s activity area with their children. The event will carry on, rain or shine.
Visitors will be able to see “Missing History of Massillon: Unheard African American Stories” in the museum’s Aultman Health Foundation Gallery until 8 p.m.
Since 1995 the Island Party has been a Massillon Museum tradition — an annual thank you to the community for its continuing support. Each year 2,000-3,000 or more area residents come.
Aqua Ohio and the City of Massillon provide in-kind support for the party. MassMu receives operating support from the Ohio Arts Council and ArtsinStark and marketing support from Visit Canton. This event is funded in part by the National Endowment for the Arts. More than 100 volunteers make the Island Party possible each year.
Free parking is available on side streets; in city lots accessed from First Street Northwest, Second Street Southeast and Erie Street North; the city parking deck on Erie Street South; and the St. George Greek Orthodox Church parking lot, entrance on South Street Southeast.