Montclair Businesses Hope Jazz Festival Can Boost Local Economy

MONTCLAIR, NJ — This summer, a pair of renowned chefs plan to open Pineapple Express Barbecue, a restaurant and beer garden at the historic Lackawanna Railroad Terminal in Montclair. And when they do, they hope to get a boost from one of the most beloved musical events in North Jersey: the Montclair Jazz Festival.

According to Lauren Hirschberg, chef and owner of Turtle & the Wolf in Montclair, he and his partner Damon Wise, chef and owner of Wise Meats, their new restaurant will feature beef, pork and chicken smoked on-site over local cherry and oak woods. The eatery will also have counter service ordering, mobile bars, picnic table seating and yard games.

“Damon and I are very excited to open Pineapple Express Barbecue and partnering with the Montclair Jazz Festival was a natural fit,” Hirschberg said.

“Lackawanna Plaza and the [festival] are both pillars of the Montclair community, and we hope to create a space that brings people together through music and barbecue,” Hirschberg said.

Wise and Hirschberg aren’t the only Montclair entrepreneurs hoping that the good vibes from the beloved festival can help jumpstart the local economy.

This year, Jazz House Kids – the nonprofit which spearheads the annual festival – joined forces with two new sponsors to launch a "brand-new" festival. The new patrons are real estate development firm BDP Holdings LLC, and the Montclair Center Business Improvement District (BID), which represents more than 300 retailers and restaurants along Bloomfield Avenue and nearby adjacent streets.

"We are thrilled to partner with the Jazz House and Montclair Center BID as we look towards the future, bringing this fantastic live music event downtown this summer, in-person, bigger and better than ever," said David Placek, managing partner of BDP Holdings.

"We hope to see our community with their families come in big numbers and often over the summer," Placek added. "No tickets – or computer screens – required."

• See related article: Montclair Jazz Fest Is Reborn 'Bigger And Better' For 2021

Winner of three consecutive JerseyArts.com "People's Choice Awards" for Favorite Music Festival, Montclair Jazz Festival will remain in the same zip code for 2021. But after being held for 10 years straight in Nishuane Park in the town's South End, it will move 1.2 miles to Montclair's downtown corridor, with the nucleus of festivities happening at the new Lackawanna Plaza summer pop-up venue.

The grand finale events in September will spread west down Bloomfield Avenue, turning it into a “pedestrian musical playground.” The new downtown location will support local businesses that have struggled amid the coronavirus pandemic, organizers said.

“This year, due to the pandemic we felt it was important to present a series of concerts throughout the summer to bring people together again,” said Melissa Walker, founder and president of Jazz House Kids.

Walker said organizers don’t just hope to offer the community some good tunes. The goal is also to be able to support local businesses across Montclair which have been “hard-hit by the pandemic,” she added.

• See related article: Montclair Tries To Ease Pandemic Pain, Waives Sidewalk Café Fees
• See related article: Newark Nonprofit Hopes Bar Crawl Can Boost Nightlife Economy

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