BUFFALO, N.Y. — A new festival has come to East Buffalo. Friday night marked the start of 'Jefferson Avenue Friday Night Live.'
2 On Your Side is told it's really meant to fill a void that 5/14 left and which still exists.
Marnetta Malcolm is the president of the Buffalo Funk Fest Foundation, which is also putting on this event tonight at Jefferson and East Utica.
Malcolm says the community can expect food trucks, things to do for kids and resources for anyone who needs them.
This event Friday was just the start.
There will be a concert here every Friday through August 18 from 5:30 to 9 p.m.
Each one will also have its own theme.
The first is in honor of Geraldine Talley, who was killed in the mass shooting.
Her son Mark Talley says she would've been 64 on Saturday.
"We see that a lot of stuff going on in other communities in the City of Buffalo but unfortunately nothing happens in here on the East Side and she wanted to work with me to kick off her Friday Night Live series. She told me the first one was happening on June 2. I knew my mother's birthday would be the next day on June 3. So I immediately offered to sponsor the very first event in my mother's honor," Mark Talley said.
"You can kind of feel that people are not understanding how to feel about what happened. Their feelings are just left out there. It's like a big void, a big vacuum so we thought we'd fill it with some entertainment, some vendors, resources, and community engagement," Malcolm said.
Other themes in June include the University United Festival Parade, Juneteenth, Black Music Month and celebrating 50 years of hip-hop.
All of them run from 5:30 to 9 p.m.
On Saturday, Mark Talley is partnering with the Buffalo Community Fridge to give food away for those in need.
That's from noon to 2:00 at 286 West Ferry.