In the aftermath of the Aug. 11 derecho that knocked out power for weeks, what began as a Jackson block party was rebranded the Greater Gary Community Fest. But the city still drew Michael Jackson fans from far and wide.
Julia Dmicrieva, of Moscow, Russia, sat on the sidewalk outside the Jackson family home at 2300 Jackson St., drawing the house while listening to Michael Jackson’s songs. It wasn’t her first pilgrimage to Gary.
“Gary is such a magical place,” she said.
“He was young and strong and musical,” Dmicrieva said. “He’s the one who really connected the world.”
“He was much more popular than Jesus Christ,” she said, attracting millions of fans around the world. Russia has a big community of Jackson fans and monuments in his memory, she said.
“Only the power of the universe connected people so strong,” Dmicrieva said.
Debbie Branda, of Springfield, Ohio, has been a fan for 42 years. “Michael, I can’t stop loving you,” she said. “Michael, you are not alone.”
“When I’m listening to him, he’s still there,” Branda said. “The way he acts. The way he loves people, how sweet he is.”
“He’s my guardian angel. He’s along with me,” she said.
“He just united everybody in music and dance,” Branda said. “Music and dance can change the world.”
Dmicrieva acknowledged the hardships that segregation in Gary brought. “They lived here. This was their land, and they didn’t have these rights,” including using Gary’s beach. “People should care more about each other,” she said.
Branda said Joe Jackson, the family patriarch, was a firm disciplinarian but kept his kids away from drugs and gangs.
Rebecca Hester of Northlake, Illinois, is Branda’s sister. “Michael was her savior,” Hester said. “She’s been through a lot.”
Matthew Ducharme of Windsor, Ontario, and his fiancée Lisa Seguin, also of Windsor, made the pilgrimage to the United States just to see the Jackson family home and attend the festival.
“As we were walking up, you could feel the vibe in the air,” Seguin said.
“We’ve been fans our entire lives,” she said. “He knew all the dance moves.”
“The barriers he broke, how he changed everything” in the music industry inspired Ducharme.
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Jonny Miller and King Miller, of Chicago, dressed up as Michael Jackson to attend the festival. They became Michael Jackson fans after seeing the recent biopic about him.
Mateo Smalley, of Kenosha, Wisconsin, showed some dance moves at the Jackson family home on Saturday. His stage name is Mateo MJ. “I came out here to perform and to honor him,” he said.
Smalley was 3 years old when he discovered old VHS tapes and records featuring Michael Jackson. “I was just fascinated,” he said, referring to Michael Jackson as The King.
LeJuan Council, founder of Detroit Area Disaster Recovery Group, went to Gary because of the disaster, not because of Jackson.
She was in Nashville, Tennessee, when a tornado struck the city in 2009. Afterward, she moved to Detroit, which was devastated in 2012.
“We know firsthand what a localized disaster is. It changes your life,” Council said.
“I survived it,” she said, and learned how to work with the system to get needed assistance. She wants to help Gary residents navigate the social service network to get aid from FEMA and other sources.
“The stories I’m hearing are stories of resilience,” she stressed. People are “very, very grateful the power’s back on.”
On Thursday, 20 generators were given away, she said.
Residents who needed help Saturday received a push broom and map, a stiff brush, squeegee and disaster bucket, as well as cleaning supplies and other items to help clean up after the storm.
FEMA offers up to $10,000 in benefits, Council said. “FEMA is an ally.”
Danielle Harris was helping volunteers at the festival. Patronizing vendors meant supporting local businesses that, like residents, were hammered by the storm. “The state of the city, what else can we do?”
Harris lost 35 trees in her own yard, she said.
Cavonna Brooks, of Gary, said the assistance she received “was definitely a blessing.”
“We’re busy helping out other people,” she said, at the state agency where she works. But she’s struggling, too.
Her family was without power for 15 days. “It just came on Tuesday night at 8:31. We were happy,” she said.
After two weeks in a motel, her family is back home. But their basement flooded. “It’s creating mold in the walls,” she said. They’re waiting for FEMA to schedule an inspection.
Cheryl Barnes, artistic director for the West Side Theater Guild Repertoire Dance Company, watched her young people perform onstage Saturday.
The dance students learn life skills as well as how to give back to their community. “We serve the community. You call us, we show up,” Barnes said.
“We have been working on this program since the beginning of April,” she said, when it was to be a tribute to the Jacksons’ musical dynasty. But when the city changed the theme of the two-day festival, the dance troupe had to pivot. They had just two days to come up with the new routine they used Saturday, she said. Barnes was proud of how it worked out.
“This is the resilience and the determination and commitment that will help them survive any situation,” she said.
Doug Ross is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.