Collaboratory passes quarterly Community Night Market on to CRA

Contact: LaShaun Middlebrooks Collier, Deputy Director of Communications,

Fort Myers Community Redevelopment Agency: (239) 321-7100

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Collaboratory passes quarterly Community Night Market on to CRA

First event at new host site – McCollum Hall – will take place November 15

 

FORT MYERS, Fla. (DATE, 2024) – “Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.” – Helen Keller.

In Spring 2022, Collaboratory began the first of its quarterly “Night Markets” with the idea of bringing the community together for free live music, food trucks, retail vendors and community partners for shared experiences and interaction.

“We wanted to create an engaging experience where the community is able to come meet us and our resident partners that we might not otherwise have an opportunity to engage with,” said Dr. Dawn Belamarich, president and CEO of Collaboratory. “It was a new way for us to get to know each other better and ultimately create a space to hear from the community as we moved forward with our Big Idea.”

Now Collaboratory is passing that baton to the Fort Myers Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) who will take over the quarterly events redefined as Music Walk at McCollum Hall, powered by HAPCO Music Foundation.

Beginning on Friday, November 15 from 6 to 10 p.m. and in conjunction with Music Walk, the CRA will present their version of the previously named Night Markets at 2701 Dr Martin Luther King Jr Blvd.

Future dates will be February 21, May 16, and August 15, 2025.

The event is free as is limited parking (spaces for 100 vehicles) at the lot just behind McCollum Hall.

“We are so excited to be taking the reins from Collaboratory’s successful endeavor,” said Michele Hylton-Terry, executive director of the Fort Myers CRA. “And true to McCollum Hall’s historical roots, It’s all about jazz in November. We hope everyone will join us for a journey back to the Golden Age of Jazz – a century ago, when America’s most unique art form was delighting people all over the world with its bold originality.”

For the first event in November, live entertainment will include the Naples Philharmonic Youth Jazz Orchestra, FGCU Jazz Ensemble and the Brandon Robertson Quintet.

Similar to Collaboratory’s Night Market, food trucks and merchant and art vendors will be on site.

Built in 1938 by Clifford “Buck” McCollum, Sr., a black businessman and entrepreneur, and his wife Gertrude, McCollum Hall was the centerpiece of commerce, music and entertainment in the Dunbar Community. A popular stop for touring black entertainers on the Chitlin’ Circuit of the 1930s to 1950s, its second-floor dance hall jumped to life when musicians took to the stage, including Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong, Count Basie, B.B. King, Dizzy Gillespie, Otis Redding and other jazz and blues greats.

McCollum Hall was named to the National Park Service’s National Register of Historic Places on April 18, 2022. It is a site on Florida’s Black Heritage Trail. It is a catalyst renovation project in promoting redevelopment in the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd. redevelopment area.

In addition to the Fort Myers Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) and HAPCO Music Foundation, this new series in made possible by partnerships from Fort Myers Council Member Teresa Watkins Brown, CRA Board Chair, Ward 1; City of Fort Myers; River District Alliance; Lee County Black History Society; FGCU Bower School of Music & the Arts; Thirty8 Collective; and Collaboratory.

The Brandon Robertson Quintet will feature music from Black jazz legends who performed at McCollum Hall.

The FGCU Jazz Ensemble explores a diverse range of jazz styles under Robertson’s direction. It is one of the premier collegiate groups in the Florida Gulf Coast University’s Bower School of Music.

In the 2024-25 season, the Naples Philharmonic Youth Jazz Orchestra proudly marks its 10th anniversary, with nearly 25 students from Lee and Collier counties honing their jazz skills in a big band environment, also under Robertson’s direction.

Limited seating will be available. Attendees are encouraged to bring their own chairs or blankets. Easy parking and event access is available for individuals with disabilities and seniors. No alcoholic beverages are permitted.

The Fort Myers Community Redevelopment Agency is celebrating 40 years of work revitalizing Fort Myers communities. Since 1984, it has spearheaded programs and policies designed to reverse deterioration, create jobs, revitalize the business climate, increase property values, and encourage active participation and investment by citizens.

RSVP to attend

For more information or to find out about vendor and sponsorship opportunities, please email fmcra@cityftmyers.com, call 239-321-7100 or visit fortmyerscra.com.

 

More Information:

Brandon Robertson Quartet Brandon Robertson is an Emmy®-nominated music director and accomplished upright/electric bassist, composer and educator. He is the John & Dorothy Guigon endowed director of jazz studies at Florida Gulf Coast University, where he was nominated for an Emmy Award for Best Documentary focusing on the FGCU Jazz Ensemble. His 2019 debut album, Bass’d on a True Story, ranked #16 on iTunes Top 200 Jazz Releases. As a distinguished bandleader, he has led national tours, performing at renowned jazz venues including Blues Alley and The Jazz Kitchen, and has collaborated with esteemed groups including the Count Basie Orchestra and Jason Marsalis, while touring 22 countries across Europe. He is the host of the weekly Facebook Live web series, Brandon Robertson Soul Hour, Tuesdays, 7 pm. A Tampa native, he holds a Bachelor of Arts in music performance from Florida State University (2009) and a Master of Music in jazz performance (2016).

HAPCO’s educational programs help disadvantaged young people in Florida, Georgia and Texas build their better futures. They use their musical, culinary and artistic talents to fund their college education or to pursue professional careers. Its community advocacy series Echoes Thru Time: Icons of the Black American Experience celebrates the people who have championed initiatives that have nurtured the growth and success of generations of Black musicians and artists. For over a century, these advocates for equality and unity defied convention, building opportunity for others. They helped shape our culture and society, ensuring the Black American creative voice was heard. Info: http://hapcopromo.org

The Dunbar Community’s Entertainment Hub

For decades, the sounds of jazz and blues music filled McCollum Hall. Built in 1938, it was the centerpiece of commerce, music and entertainment in the Dunbar Community. It was a popular stop on the Chitlin’ Circuit, a touring circuit that provided employment for hundreds of Black musicians in the segregation era.

Its second-floor dance hall jumped to life when musicians took to the stage, including Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong, Count Basie, B.B. King, Dizzy Gillespie, Otis Redding and other jazz and blues greats.

Packing the dance hall were Dunbar community residents, black professional baseball players visiting during spring training and white patrons who defied segregation laws to attend the shows. As the music filled the air and people started to dance, briefly, there was integration in Fort Myers when the rope separating the races mysteriously disappeared.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The first floor was home to thriving local businesses including, over the years, a shoe store, a men’s clothing store, a barbershop, a coffee shop, a grocery store and a liquor store. There was also a gas station.

McCollum Hall was built in 1938 by Clifford “Buck” McCollum, Sr., a black businessman and entrepreneur, and his wife Gertrude. McCollum came to Fort Myers when he was 30 years old, and ran gambling bolita games, akin to the lottery. He then used his winnings to invest in land, housing and commercial buildings on Florida’s east coast. He later financially backed men’s and women’s baseball teams.

McCollum was committed to improving the lives and livelihoods of the Dunbar community’s residents. By day, residents enjoyed the convenience of local shopping at McCollum Hall. At night, they enjoyed entertainment by top musical talents in the dance hall.

In its heyday, McCollum Hall also attracted boxing matches. During World War II, it served as the U.S.O. (United Service Organization) to black servicemen from the nearby Page and Buckingham Army Air Fields. Buckingham Gunnery School and Page Field. When it dwindled in popularity in the mid-1980s, the dance hall became a rooming house, and McCollum Hall eventually fell into disrepair.

In the Jim Crow era, Black Americas did not have access to hotels, hospitals, public restrooms, entertainment venues and many other facilities. Black travelers relied on word-of-mouth referrals for places to stay, often at private homes. From 1936-66, they relied on The Green Book, an annual publication which listed hotels, restaurants, gas stations, and other businesses that served African Americans. McCollum Hall was listed in The Green Book.

McCollum Hall was named to the National Park Service’s National Register of Historic Places on April 18, 2022. It is a site on Florida’s Black Heritage Trail.

It is a catalyst renovation project in promoting redevelopment in the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd. redevelopment area, spearheaded by the Fort Myers Community Redevelopment Agency.

FGCU Jazz Ensemble

The FGCU Jazz Ensemble explores a diverse range of jazz styles under the direction of Brandon Robertson, director of jazz studies. It is one of the premier collegiate groups in the Bower School of Music. It has received an EMMY nomination for best documentary on a collegiate program for higher education. The ensemble has performed at the Landings Music Festival and the Sanibel Jazz Festival and has hosted national artists including Benny Benack III, Laila Biali, Jason Marsalis and Ulysses Owens Jr.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Naples Philharmonic Youth Jazz Orchestra

In the 2024-25 season, the Naples Philharmonic Youth Jazz Orchestra proudly marks its 10th anniversary, with nearly 25 students from Lee and Collier counties participating each year to hone their jazz skills in a big band environment. Under the direction of Emmy-nominated bassist and music educator Brandon Robertson, this educational ensemble has emerged from the success of the Naples Philharmonic Jazz Orchestra and the All That Jazz series, immersing its members in the works and arrangements of legendary jazz artists including Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Horace Silver, Thelonious Monk, and Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers.

ABOUT THE FORT MYERS COMMUNITY REDEVELOPMENT AGENCY (CRA)

Since 1984, the CRA has managed redevelopment trusts to revitalize blighted areas in the City of Fort Myers. This reinvestment can take the form of public infrastructure, residential and commercial grant programs, public arts, affordable housing development, safety initiatives and historic preservation.

 

If left under-resourced, parts of our city risk remaining overlooked, affecting community spirit, and slowing economic growth. This lack of redevelopment doesn’t just impact current residents—it also discourages potential new businesses and families from making our city their home. Imagine a city where every neighborhood is a beacon of growth and community spirit—a place where residents enjoy sustainable, thriving spaces and businesses benefit from a vibrant economic environment. This is the future we’re creating. The Fort Myers Community Redevelopment Agency was created in 1984 by the City of Fort Myers, Florida, under Florida Statute Chapter 163. The Fort Myers City Council members, sitting as the Community Redevelopment Agency Board of Commissioners, oversee the Agency’s programs and policies. The Fort Myers CRA office is located at 1400 Jackson Street in the historical downtown River District.