Park party celebrates Jackson's birthday
Source: Agencies |
August 31, 2009, Monday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
THOUSANDS of Michael Jackson fans danced the rain away in a Brooklyn park on Saturday at a party hosted by film maker Spike Lee, marking what would have been the late pop star's 51st birthday.
Crowds of New York partygoers streamed into Prospect Park, many wearing fedoras, sporting white gloves and showing off other Jackson outfits. DJs spun Jackson's hits one after the other as people danced and sang along. Dozens of hawkers wandered through the crowd with T-shirts, buttons, posters and homemade memorabilia.
"I was just like everyone else. I loved his talent," said Lee, who directed two music videos for Jackson in 1996. He also reminisced how Jackson had visited him in his home in Brooklyn to talk about their music video collaboration.
The day was also designated Michael "King of Pop" Jackson Memorial Day by Brooklyn borough president Marty Markowitz.
"We all know Michael Jackson had fans around the world, but we all know the best fans come from Brooklyn," Markowitz boasted to a roaring crowd.
Edna Robles of Brooklyn was on her feet all afternoon. In a red baseball cap and flip flops, she closed her eyes and swung her hips, pivoting in the grass and mud to the beats of Jackson's hit "Thriller."
"It could be thundering, I don't care," she said. "I watched him through the years and I think he's the best. I love him."
The event, originally planned as a block-party style gathering for 2,000 people in Brooklyn's Fort Greene Park, was moved to Prospect Park to accommodate a bigger crowd, where hawkers sold souvenirs and homemade portraits.
Crowds of New York partygoers streamed into Prospect Park, many wearing fedoras, sporting white gloves and showing off other Jackson outfits. DJs spun Jackson's hits one after the other as people danced and sang along. Dozens of hawkers wandered through the crowd with T-shirts, buttons, posters and homemade memorabilia.
"I was just like everyone else. I loved his talent," said Lee, who directed two music videos for Jackson in 1996. He also reminisced how Jackson had visited him in his home in Brooklyn to talk about their music video collaboration.
The day was also designated Michael "King of Pop" Jackson Memorial Day by Brooklyn borough president Marty Markowitz.
"We all know Michael Jackson had fans around the world, but we all know the best fans come from Brooklyn," Markowitz boasted to a roaring crowd.
Edna Robles of Brooklyn was on her feet all afternoon. In a red baseball cap and flip flops, she closed her eyes and swung her hips, pivoting in the grass and mud to the beats of Jackson's hit "Thriller."
"It could be thundering, I don't care," she said. "I watched him through the years and I think he's the best. I love him."
The event, originally planned as a block-party style gathering for 2,000 people in Brooklyn's Fort Greene Park, was moved to Prospect Park to accommodate a bigger crowd, where hawkers sold souvenirs and homemade portraits.
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