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Ya Maka My Weekend draws big crowds

Caribbean food, reggae, a beach, Ya Maka My Weekend  2013 had all of it. The 22nd annual festival was on Friday and Saturday in The District in Rock Island. The...

Caribbean food, reggae, a beach, Ya Maka My Weekend  2013 had all of it. The 22
nd
annual festival was on Friday and Saturday in The District in Rock Island. There were twelve bands performing on two different stages.

There were several food booths serving Jamaican, Caribbean, even Greek food. There were also several different vendors selling items like hats and dresses. Organizers even brought in 120 tons of sand to make a temporary beach. Organizers say the Ya Maka My Weekend is not only growing in popularity in the Quad Cities, but also in the Midwest and they were expecting somewhere near 10,000 people to attend.

"In other areas, some reggae festivals have come and gone or fallen by the wayside for whatever reason. 22 years is kind of impressive and we try to keep it, keep it ya know current, and there's something new to see and do each year,” said Carl McClaskey.

One of the bands performing was the Walcott Steel Panthers. They are the only elementary school steel band in Iowa. This was the band’s third year performing at Ya Maka My Weekend.

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