Picnicking to Salsa

Give me Latin jazz over smooth jazz any day. Give me a free show over a $25 ticket, for that matter. I'll admit that it would have been interesting to see Chaka Khan perform, but I already had plans for this evening.

So when I heard a friend shouting my name from the street this morning, I went down to see what all the noise was about and invited him to go with me to the 4th Annual Latin Jazz Show Festival at Dogwood Dell.

We made a stop at Sally Belle's at Fountain Lake for our picnic lunch first. As we walked up to order, a random man asked us about our Sally Belle creds. As a Richmond resident for 52 years ("but not a native," he reminded us), he wanted to assess our familiarity with the legendary Sally Belle boxed lunches. A bit of discussion proved our familiarity with SB's cheese wafers and deviled eggs and he gave us the stamp of approval.

The irony was that when we went to order, the first thing we were told was that they'd had a run on boxed lunches that morning ("Guess it's that Jazz fest," the proprietor grumbled) and they wouldn't have some of the key ingredients back in stock until about 4 p.m. We could only imagine the furor it would cause when some customers heard that they were out of Sally Belle's potato salad.

We adapted easily, ordering cheeseburgers and those classic upside down cupcakes. We sat under an umbrella and watched the people on paddle boats getting sprayed by the mist of the fountain in the picaresque lake while smelling our burgers being grilled a few feet away. It's pretty charming the way they use a regular outdoor grill situated out behind the building that houses Sally Belle's. Let's just say it adds a lot to the picnic feel by seeing and smelling our food being cooked.

Over at Dogwood Dell, percussion was the first thing we heard as we exited the car. We easily found a shaded place to set up our chairs and start chowing down. Music was in full swing and couples were just beginning to fill up the courtyard area with their sinuous dance moves.

The group playing, Timbason La Original we think, played both traditional and original music. With shout-outs to the crowd identifying Puerto Ricans, Guatemalans, Colombians and Cubans, the band invited hand-clapping participation as well as dancing.

The band members themselves were a non-stop motion of swiveling hips and quick footed-moves. My friend and I had such a great time watching people with far more rhythm than ourselves sing, play and dance.

In between sets, Latin DJs kept the crowd entertained and moving. There was even a short fashion show of models in bathing suits, walking the stage to thumping Latin beats. Appropriately, all body types were represented, curvy as well as reed thin in swim suit styles both current and retro.

They even had a couple of male models for those of us in the audience who appreciate such things. I know I clapped loudly for the two handsome and well-built men, but not as loud as the two older women behind me who were all but coming out of their chairs to show their appreciation for the beefcake.

But in the end, the afternoon was all about the music and this beautiful weather was the perfect setting for it. The light breeze was undoubtedly appreciated by the non-stop salsa dancers as well as the energetic musicians.

It didn't make them any less cool (because they were amazing) but certainly more comfortable.