Boobity-be-be-boppin' at the BAC

Saturday afternoon, the Jazz and Beyond Festival at the Brewery Arts Center was in full swing.

Literally.

While some were milling about sampling lemonade or devouring hot dogs, the largest crowd was gathered inside to watching the Let's Dance Swing Band perform.

Among those cutting a rug was 14-year-old Jayme Foremaster.

"I love swing dancing and anything to do with the '50s. My favorite singer is Elvis Presley," she said.

The Reno-based band played a two-hour set of swing hits like "Foggy Day in Londontown" and "I Could've Danced All Night" to a standing-room-only crowd.

The band was one of more than 20 acts scheduled to take one of five stages this weekend as part of the third annual festival for the BAC.

Shortly before Let's Dance completed its set, Dan Hicks and Bayside Jazz took the main stage in the parking lot between the two buildings owned by the BAC.

Mark and Beth Davinson drove down from South Lake Tahoe to take in the performance with friends Gary and Pam Zak of Gardnerville.

"I've been a fan of (Hicks) for years now, and our friends called us and said he was playing," Beth Davinson said. "So we had to come down and see him."

The festival kicked off Friday night with the 14th annual beer-tasting fundraiser, featuring local microbrews and a performance by Lydia Pense and Cold Blood.

About 1,500 people took advantage of the tasting and concert combination, consuming the equivalent of 60 cases of beer during the evening, as well as a good portion of the food that had been allotted for the entire weekend.

"We didn't know what to expect. We didn't prepare for this, but we dealt with it," said Chris Willson, BAC program director. "Next year, we'll be better prepared, but overall it is going smoothly."

Executive Director John Procaccini said, with an event as extensive as the Jazz Festival, the BAC is always looking for ways to make it run more efficiently.

"You always hate to say we had issues, but we have problems with the signage, and we need more vendors next time," Procaccini said. "Plus, we want to look at the material and try to bring in more variety for future events."

The Zaks said their experience Friday night made them decide to come Saturday.

"We came last night and enjoyed it, so we decided to come back tonight," Gary Zak said. "We'll just have to see about Sunday."

• Contact reporter Jarid Shipley at jshipley@nevadaappeal.com or 881-1217.

Jazz and Beyond schedule for today

11 a.m.-1 p.m. Brunch with "Me and Bobby McGee" vocals and piano player Peter Epstein in the performance hall.

1-2 p.m. "Future Trends in Jazz" talk with CeCe Gable and Kenn Pettiford in the performance hall.

3-3:30 p.m. Squeek Steele on ragtime piano in the performance hall.

3-4 p.m. Grumpy Old Men on the intimate stage.

4-5:30 p.m. Reno Big Swing with Buddy Wright and Pat Esters on the main stage.

5:30-7:30 p.m. Craig Barton on keyboard and vocals on the intimate stage; Reno Exchange Vocal Ensemble in the performance hall.

7-9 p.m. Reno Jazz Orchestra with Cami Thompson on the main stage.