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Legends Festival: Four Day Birthday Bash in Gary for Michael

Rhilo

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Not sure if this has been posted, but there is some media coverage of the birthday celebrations in Gary. His family appears to be there, as well as his kids this time (Paris said this on twitter).


Gary, Indiana prepares for Michael Jackson's birthday with a four-day festival
by Kate Dries Aug. 26, 2011Gary, Indiana is celebrating Michael Jackson this weekend for what would be the King of Pop's 53rd birthday. Gary's four-day party will feature musical performances, a circus and other entertainment in front of Jackson's former home and Roosevelt High School.

Fans gathered outside the former Jackson family home on Friday to prepare for the festivities.

Debra Newberg traveled from Texarkana, Texas for the weekend. She's written a book on Jackson entitled Reflections and Corrections on Michael Jackson: America in the Mirror, and says America "killed him slowly with our words."

"I think the enormous talent that was instilled in Michael Jackson we have yet to see, we have yet to see it," Newberg said. "And it's so sad that we've lost him before we could see his true talent."

Newberg's friend Beth Sajdera, from Lake Station, Indiana, remembers the first time she saw Jackson perform, with 'N Sync at the 2001 MTV Video Music Awards. "Michael Jackson came out, did his thing, I fell in love with him," Sajdera said. "I'm one of his biggest fans, I wouldn't know what to do without him."

And for the town of Gary, Jackson will never be forgotten. "The attention that he's bringing to Gary now, and the attention that he brought to Gary as an entertainer when he was performing, I think that will be his legacy," said Melvin Jackson (no relation), a vendor of Michael Jackson wares.

The Jackson family moved from Gary to California in 1969 as their fame grew. Several members of the Jackson family are expected to be in attendance over the weekend, including his parents and some siblings.

Michael Puente contributed to this report.

source: http://www.wbez.org/story/gary-indiana-prepares-michael-jacksons-birthday-four-day-festival-91117
 
Another article, with excerpts from Katherine. It also confirms Michael's kids being there.




Jackson family talks about Michael, plans for park, museum

<!-- Start By-Line -->By Michael Gonzalez Post-Tribune correspondent August 26, 2011 5:46PM


GARY- With a massive RV tucked behind her former tiny home, Katherine Jackson, mother of the late Michael Jackson, remembered her son as a generous child who was born to entertain.

Katherine Jackson joined husband Joe Jackson, other family members, and business associates in an impromptu press conference to kick off the four day Legends Festival honoring Michael Jackson before what would have been his 53rd birthday Aug. 29.

Katherine Jackson remembered Michael Jackson as a happy, generous child and her five sons as they were becoming pop star sensations The Jackson 5.

&#8220;There&#8217;s a lot of memories that stand out in my mind from when we were here, like when the boys used to practice all the time,&#8221; Katherine Jackson said about her sons&#8217; group The Jackson 5. &#8220;I remember Michael was so happy when he was young, and he used to take all his money and buy candy for all the kids in the neighborhood.

&#8220;I&#8217;m here because I love (Michael Jackson).&#8221;

Jackson said she would leave town before Monday, because she does not celebrate birthdays due to her religious beliefs. Jackson also said she wanted to return to California before her grandchildren start the school year.

A source with the Jackson entourage, said Prince, Paris and Blanket Jackson, Michael Jackson&#8217;s children, are in the area and will be attending some of the festivities.

Joe Jackson told the small crowd of plans under way by the Jackson Family Heritage Foundation, including investing in Happy Land, a massive entertainment center in Vietnam that will include a Michael Jackson tribute area.

Phan Thi Phuong Thao, chairwoman of Phu An, the Vietnamese company building the complex, flanked Katherine Jackson during the conference.

While city officials several weeks ago complained nothing had moved forward on the entertainment complex that was planned for the Glen Park neighborhood, Simon Sahouri, the man charged with bringing a Michael Jackson museum and entertainment arts complex to Gary, dismissed concerns by some city officials he may not be the man for the job.

Sahouri insisted he has secured the not-for-profit status city officials require before giving away acres of land to the project.

&#8220;I don&#8217;t like to submit bits and pieces of the project,&#8221; Sahouri said of the complex when asked if it was still in the works. &#8220;It is going to be for real, 100 percent.&#8221;
In the spring, the city&#8217;s Board of Public Works and Safety again extended a deadline for Sahouri to provide proof the foundation has the proper tax status. Instead, city attorneys received a photocopy of a not-for-profit foundation with a different name.

Sahouri also said he was confident the city&#8217;s next mayor will back him up.

&#8220;I believe in everybody in the city of Gary, Indiana, that this is going to happen.&#8221;

source:http://posttrib.suntimes.com/news/lake/7299984-418/jackson-family-talks-about-michael-plans-for-park-museum.html



So ol' Joe has got the Vietnamese party involved in this as well? :unsure:
 
Lord help us. Papa Joe again!!!! Now why did they not publicize this event so more fans would know about it. Katherine and this birthday issue, now if you give her a gift on her birthday, will she take it? Didn't the boys or Janet give her a red car for one of her birthdays? Would she accept flowers for her birthday, or will she say no I do not celebrate birthdays, so take it away. To me, once you accept anything for your birthday, you are celebrating it.
 
^Katherine's a hypocrite when it comes to Birthdays and receiving gifts. She always accepted birthday presents wrapped in Brown paper, and even attended the birtdhay parties held for her by her children, without much fuss.
 
A few photos of Michael's kids from the proceedings. Posting these because they aren't razzi or private photos.

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And Joe. :puke:

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Wonder how long before the kids are been used to promote joes happy land .b.s.blanket looks bored as usual.bless him
 
Some more stuff I found.

Michael Jackson&#8217;s kids visit with Gary crowd


GARY &#8212; While the opening day of three-day birthday celebration of the late Michael Jackson was off to a slow start, the King of Pop&#8217;s three children &#8212; Prince, 14, Paris, 13, and 9-year-old Prince Michael II, also known as &#8220;Blanket,&#8221; took a short walk Friday from their father&#8217;s childhood home at 2300 Jackson St., to Garnett Elementary where their father and some of his siblings attended school decades ago.

Michael Jackson&#8217;s birthday is Monday.

&#8220;It&#8217;s closed now and I think it belongs to Workforce Development,&#8221; Michael&#8217;s first cousin Keith Jackson said as he led the brief tour for the children and a group of bodyguards and members of the Gary police department.

The children posed for pictures in front of Garnett while giggling and talking among themselves with another young relative. Keith also pointed out Roosevelt High School where the older aunts and uncles attended before they became known as the iconic Jackson 5.

&#8220;The kids are having a great time here,&#8221; Keith said as they returned to the gated house.

Moments after being in the backyard near a private, luxury bus, Prince and Paris then made their way to the gated fence and shook hands, posed for pictures and signed autographs for a small group of fans lucky enough to be up close.
Beth Shadera of Lake Station was able to present Paris with a necklace and also walked away with signatures from the children on a poster of their father as a child.

&#8220;I came here not expecting to have the honor of meeting Michael&#8217;s children. They are so beautiful,&#8221; Shadera said.
As the evening progressed, the crowd grew larger with more than 200 people dancing and watching performances on a stage near the house &#8212; called The Legend&#8217;s Stage &#8212; and Joe and Katherine Jackson, Michael&#8217;s parents, made their way outside to enjoy some of the show from the front yard.

Katherine watched performers from Chicago as well as the Gary dance group, Kruciial Kreationz, founded by promoter and Jackson family friend Ivan &#8220;Primetime&#8221; Woodard. Katherine also signed T-shirts, pictures and books with her son&#8217;s image for some fans.

She said seeing the community and fans from everywhere honoring her son &#8216;makes her choke up&#8217; from the love.
&#8220;This is great, beautiful,&#8221; she said, adding that she will likely be here until Sunday. &#8220;The children&#8217;s first day of school is Monday, so they have to go back.&#8221;

She said she showed her grandchildren the entire house and where their father use to sleep and practice inside.
&#8220;They are so excited about seeing where their father grew up,&#8221; Katherine said. &#8220;Paris told me, &#8216;Grandma, I love it here.&#8221;
Later, the Jackson children attended the Merrillville-Andrean high school football game at Merrillville on Friday night.
source: http://posttrib.suntimes.com/7304077-418/michael-jacksons-kids-visit-with-gary-crowd.html
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Thankyou so much for posting these! My God! Why weren't the fans even informed about this '4-day long celebration'?!! The place would be flooded with loving fans and admirers only if we had been informed!!!
I would be there a hundred times than be present even for one second at that so called 'tribute' concert!

So glad the beautiful kids are there, and Lord, Blanket is Michael! God bless them :)
 
is Paris signing an autograph ? lol looks like it :p
 
Michael's children have grown up SO much ... can hardly believe it!

Wonderful to see them so happy.

I really would LOVE it that the MJ Fan-mily joined the Jackson Family in Unity and Respect towards each other.

Enough of the jibes towards them. We are being so un MIKE-LIKE with comments like these.

I doubt it that this would please Michael because he may have had difference with them .... but he always remained respectful.

I think we all need to look in the mirror and honestly ask ourselves if we have Michael's & his children's interest at heart by attacking his family. The very people who are left to look after his children.

Just sayin .....
 
you shouldnt be disrespectful to your elders..just cos someone is famous doesnt give you the right to make judgements about their personal choices and business. Michael would be cross at you for sticking your nose into his mum's private choices etc.
 
^^Are you referring to my post, where I called her a hypocrite when it comes to birthdays? That's the truth, but this is not the thread to discuss that further...

Although in this instance, they are leaving before Monday as Prince and Paris have to be in school, and not because she doesn't want to partake in celebrations on his birthday itself.
 
jsimpson9 said:
you shouldnt be disrespectful to your elders..just cos someone is famous doesnt give you the right to make judgements about their personal choices and business. Michael would be cross at you for sticking your nose into his mum's private choices etc.
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Right. So you can't call an Apple an Apple if someone is famous and elderly? Okayyyy.

Anyways, I don't want this thread to derail into an over argument Michael's family and their actions. If you read, I'm not criticising this event and their involvement in it. It was held last year as well, and attended by his parents, though not his chidlren.
 
Ankita said:
Thankyou so much for posting these! My God! Why weren't the fans even informed about this '4-day long celebration'?!! The place would be flooded with loving fans and admirers only if we had been informed!!!
I would be there a hundred times than be present even for one second at that so called 'tribute' concert!

So glad the beautiful kids are there, and Lord, Blanket is Michael! God bless them :)
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Ankita I agree. They did more promotions for last year's Birthday event. The tickets were higher priced, and there was a better program in place with tours for fans and guest speakers like his Kindergarten teacher and Jennier Batten. Remember they were looking for his birthmates? They did all of that last year. Seems like for whatever reasons, they didn't plan so big this time.
 
Mixed feeling. On one hand, I really don't like to see the Jacksons using PPB again and again to promote something. On the other hand, I think it's nice to see them happy going back to Daddy's old house, surrounding with loving fans. They do looked happy may except blanket. Blanket always looked bored. XD
 
MariAndMichael said:
I agree with you friend. It hurt my heart the way they are referring to Michael's mother, Katherine Jackson. : (

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Naaawww ..what is sad is how much the kids, just like their dad, love Katherine and how she has managed to use that love to bring money into her pocket.

She keeps saying how much she loves Michael....then why is she purposely doing these ugly things that would have pained him to his core.

If an imbecile like Rabbi Boteach knows this, why doesn't Katherine, his own mother.

Every night when she lays to bed, does she think about all the greedy thing she has done since MJ passed? Does she think about how MJ would feel if he was here? Seeing the kids he spent his life trying to protect, now paraded like cattle.
 
The family is more important than the individual to them. If using the kids helps pay the bills so be it as its seen to be their duty
 
For your information

WHAT: Legend's Weekend
WHEN: Through Monday
WHERE: 2300 Jackson St. and Leonard Douglas Stadium at Roosevelt High School, 2301 Harrison St.
HOW MUCH: Activities in front of 2300 Jackson St. are free; food and other items will be available for purchase; tickets for the concerts and circus are $23 for adults and $12 for children.
FYI: Visit www.thelegendsweekend.com for other details, concert schedule, guest roster and various package ticket rates.


More events on Monday

On Aug. 29, Michael's birthday, fans can join in a birthday celebration with a cake-cutting ceremony in front of the house, featuring a 4-foot cake, a performance of the singer's favorite song "Smile," and a fireworks display synchronized to Jackson's music. For more details, times, and prices for various activities, visit www.thelegendsweekend.com
On another Jackson history note, fans may want to visit the website www.misterluckyslounge.com to find out how they can own a bit of J5 and music history.
Mister Lucky's, 1100 Grant St. in Gary, is famed for being the first place the Jackson 5 ever performed. Current owners of Mr. Lucky's are calling out to local music fans who remember the performance and may have photos to share the information via the website.
The lounge is set to be demolished sometime in the fall and will become a green space. Bricks will be sold to fans who'd like to preserve a piece of history.
"The more we delve into what happened there (on the music scene) during the years the more we felt that we wanted to do something special," said Munster's Jay Lieser, a co-owning partner of Mister Lucky's with John Rowady of Munster and Andy Young.
"Our goal is to create a green space monument and a remembrance to 1100 Grant St.," said John Rowady.
Rowady and Lieser said the iconic lounge also hosted many other musical acts during its heydey four decades ago, including The Spaniels, Deniece Williams, the Chi-Lights and others.
Because the building is not in any condition to be used and there are no plans to revitalize the lounge or reopen it, the owners said they felt a green space would be appropriate.
"We feel the green space will be a nice thing for the city of Gary," Rowady said.
Music fans can check out various brick packages that may be purchased through the website. A portion of the proceeds raised through the brick program will go to benefit music programs that are part of VH1's Save the Music fundraiser.




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http://posttrib.suntimes.com/729998...alks-about-michael-plans-for-park-museum.html
http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/lake/gary/article_e3e76c93-6b50-544b-8461-d69a96d8c291.html
 
elusive moonwalker said:
Wonder how long before the kids are been used to promote joes happy land .b.s.blanket looks bored as usual.bless him
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Not long, I expect. Mrs Phan is over from Vietnam, 5th picture above^.
She's been with Joe in Vegas for the last couple of weeks doing deals with various companies.

http://khangthong.vn/tin-tuc/hoat-d...-cac-doanh-nghiep-nha-dau-tu-my-11082011.html
Khang Thong Group visited and worked with American businesses, investors (Aug 11, 2011)
At the invitation of Mr. Pete Eliades, Director of Yellow Checker Star Company (Las Vegas, US), on 11th August, Mrs. Phan Thi Phuong Thao, Chairwoman and CEO of Khang Thong Group was on a business trip in Las Vegas to work with Mr. Pete Eliades.
 
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moments after being in the backyard near a private, luxury bus, prince and paris then made their way to the gated fence and shook hands, posed for pictures and signed autographs for a small group of fans lucky enough to be up close.
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smdh.
 
Nice to see Blanket wearing a white undershirt. It reminds me of Michael, who always wore one.
 
angel2 said:
Michael's children have grown up SO much ... can hardly believe it!Wonderful to see them so happy.I really would LOVE it that the MJ Fan-mily joined the Jackson Family in Unity and Respect towards eachother.Enough of the jibes towards them. We are being so un MIKE-LIKE with comments like these.I doubt it that this would please Michael because he may have had difference with them .... but he always remained respectful.I think we all need to look in the mirror and honestly ask ourselves if we have Michael's & his children's interest at heart by attacking his family. The very people who are left to look after his children.Just sayin .....
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They have themselves to thank through their own actions. Like a wise man once said you play with fire you get burnt.
 
This family needs to stop exploiting these kids. Paris and Blanket signing autographs? Are you kidding me? Poor Blanket says it all with his expression on his face. Prince struggles with the attention. Paris is the only one who enjoys the spotlight and basks on it. I wish she could have done that after she became an actress and not before it. It's not Paris' fault that her grandmother + family parade her and her brothers around like cash cows. They know now what their dad had to go through.

But having them signing autographs is too much. Are they signing for their dad's fans or for their own fans which seems to grow more and more everyday. These kids are not Michael Jackson. Asking them for autographs is a slap to Michael's face because using his kids "to get close" to Michael (or feel some sort of sick closeness/connection to Michael by being near his kids or getting something signed by them) is just sick and wrong in every level.
 
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The Jackson family have always been quite conniving and god knows they've gone to ridiculous lengths to get cash in. But, all of this we already knew right? And, in light of the fact that Michael is no more and his 3 children have no other guardian, I think we need to at least have some confidence that the children are being nurtured in a way that would please Michael. All of the scathing attacks on Katherine Jackson unnerves me a little because what other options do those children have.

Michael why did he leave so soon :(
 
You know, as much as Michael would not want people to call his mother names he also would NOT want that said same mother to exploit his children!

Michael made it very clear in life that he just wanted to be loved for himself and I know he would have wanted the same thing for his children. At this rate they will see value in themselves only as it relates to Michael. They deserve the right to grow up as individuals!
 
elusive moonwalker said:
The family is more important than the individual to them. If using the kids helps pay the bills so be it as its seen to be their duty
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But they don't use them for bills..........its just for extra pocket money.........And that's much worse!!!

The Estate pays for MJ3 and Katherine............
 
Just look at the photos and you will know the people of Gary, Indiana, love Prince, Paris, and Blanket Jackson
for themselves. They are Beautiful.








 
This event has surprisingly received a lot of press. As I type this, I am sitting in a sports bar completely surprised that I've just watched Michael's children Paris and Blanket give a brief interview to local ABC reporter Evelyn Holmes. No matter what the circumstances and schemes that brought them to Gary, it is very apparent that those children love their dad. For those interested in their interview, it should be posted on ABC 7 Chicago.
 
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