FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – The warm and smooth sound of jazz filled the cool evening air with a spirit of festive celebration as a group ages 5 to 11 practiced a dance number they choreographed themselves.
Coming off yet another long pandemic-era year makes Friday night’s Light Up Sistrunk event quite significant.
“It means a lot to the kids, because you know the kids have been locked down for two years now,” Lori Spann, of the City of Fort Lauderdale Parks and Recreation Department, said of the dance group. “To get them out today, it means a lot to me.”
Light Up Sistrunk runs until 9 p.m. along Sistrunk Boulevard between Northwest 9th and 11th avenues. And if you go, bring your appetite.
Because Sharon and Bernard of Bad Boys BBQ have you covered.
“We of course have macaroni and cheese, collard greens, and not to mention some black beans,” Sharon said.
The event for them is an opportunity to serve up new business. The pandemic has been especially hard for small businesses.
“It was hard, because nobody could come out,” Sharon said. “What can you do in the pandemic but stay in and stay safe and just hope that you survive.”