The organizers of the seventh annual Jamaican Jerk Festival, presented by Air Jamaica and Publix, scheduled for this Sunday, November 9th, in Markham Park, Sunrise, Florida, have planned a special tribute to the legendary band leader Byron Lee, who passed away on Tuesday, November 4, in Jamaica.  Lee’s band, the Dragonaires, will make their first appearance since his passing, at the festival on Sunday.
 
Julianne Lee, daughter of the famed bandleader, assured listeners on WAVS radio on Thursday that the band will be appearing at the festival on Sunday.  “The Jamaican Jerk Festival was very special for my dad and he asked that the show go on, as he had a close relationship with the organizers. This is going to be our first appearance without him and we are planning to celebrate his life in a special way at the Jerk Festival.
 
Byron Lee and the Dragonaires first appeared at the Jamaican Jerk Festival in September, 2006, the year the festival moved from C. B. Smith Park in Pembroke Pines to Markham Park.  It was also the year the band was celebrating their 50th anniversary and the Jamaican Jerk Festival Organizing Committee presented Byron Lee with proclamations from Broward County and Miami-Dade County in honor of his milestone achievement.
 
Byron was very pleased with the manner in which the festival was organized and he was impressed with the large crowd and the warm reception.  After his first appearance at the festival he told Jamaican Jerk Festival co-founder Eddy Edwards, “You have a good thing going, and I want to help to make it a success.” Byron would automatically pencil in the date of the Jamaican Jerk Festival on his calendar each year in anticipation of being booked for the event. 
 
The Jamaican Jerk Festival is a celebration of authentic Jamaican Jerk in its various forms, and includes an extensive Food Court offering a variety of jerk foods. The hotly contested Publix Jerk Cook-Off, Grace Kitchen, sporting activities, Kidz Zone and two cultural stages and the IHQTV Party Zone.  Tickets for the event, which runs from 10:00 am to 10:00 pm, are on sale at selected Caribbean outlets and online at www.jerkfestival.com.
 
The 7th Annual Jamaican Jerk Festival is presented by Air Jamaica and Publix. Sponsors are County Line Chiropractic Centers, JN Money Transfer, Ting, Guinness, Western Union, Grace, Hot105 FM, WAVS 1170, 99Jamz, South Florida Caribbean News and the National Weekly.