El Jaye Johnson Friday Night Musical Entertainment

What’s gonna move ya, Smooth Jazz and R&B? Old Motown? A little bit of Soul, a pinch of Reggae?  Some soft Rock ’n’ Roll?

It doesn’t matter. El Jaye Johnson has got you covered.

Sometimes spied about town with the Port City All-Stars, a widely acclaimed jazz ensemble, Johnson, who works days for the New Hanover County Department of Education, will play the Friday, Oct. 13 Sip, Savor, and Shop Party to kick off the annual 2023 Art in the Arboretum festival all by himself, He is a one-man band supported by his abilities on guitar, keyboard and trumpet, and the technological wizardry of modern looping machines whereupon he can lay down his own supporting tracks.

Art in the Arboretum is both a venue and format with which he is familiar, having lent his talents, fundraising, and administrative abilities to similar shows and his musical creativity to other gatherings at the Arboretum, the seven-acre grounds that are the crown jewel of public gardens in southeast North Carolina.

The festival kicks off Friday, Oct. 13th, with the “Sip, Savor, and Shop” preview party from 5-8pm for the members of Friends of the Arboretum, special guests, and the lucky residents who were able to purchase tickets before they sell out. But no worries if you still want to visit the festival, as the event will take place both Saturday, Oct. 14th, and Sunday, Oct 15th, with both live music and food trucks accompanying the amazing art all weekend.

Last year’s show introduced a new zeitgeist to this long-running fixture on the Wilmington art calendar: tented artists’ booths were spread across the seven-acre gardens, a format that has been renewed and expanded for 2023. According to show director Bradley Carter this year, there will be 75 booths on the grounds, including those under permanent roof in the greenhouse and the Education Center.

For more information on the 28th annual Art in the Arboretum, please visit www.ArtintheArboretum.org