Jubilee chair prayer: Please don't rain on our event

CHESAPEAKE

To help insure the success of the 26th annual Chesapeake Jubilee next weekend, 2010 chairman, Susan H. "Suzy" Kelly, will mainly pray - for good weather.

"I'm a good Catholic girl so I've been saying my Rosary everyday," Kelly said with a laugh. "That's the main worry, good weather. If you have nice weather, the families, the people, do come out and have fun."

Prior to the city's biggest outdoor party, Kelly has helped make sure the grounds are ready and all is running smoothly.

She also plans to be there all four days to meet and greet as many people as she can and offer moral support to the army of volunteers.

"Every year this Jubilee runs like a well-oiled machine," said Kelly, owner and CEO of Jo-Kell Inc., a Greenbrier-based electrical distribution and engineering company.

"Most of the core people and volunteers working on this have been doing it for years. They have an entire team, led by Laurie McElveen (Jubilee executive director), who know how to make it happen, know how to handle all incidents and know how to make it work efficiently."

Kelly, who recently won a seat on Chesapeake City Council, said she's no stranger to the Jubilee. For the past five years, her company has donated food, beverages, and a huge grill by the event's public-safety tent to feed all of the Jubilee's Chesapeake police personnel and Chesapeake sheriff's deputies during the celebration's four days.

"It's our way of helping out and making sure these people are well fed, appreciated and comfortable," said Kelly, a member of the Chesapeake Police Department Advisory Board.

Kelly said she always looks forward to the event's music.

"There's entertainment on three different stages the entire weekend," said Kelly, who counts the 2007 concert of Carbon Leaf, one of her favorite bands, at the 25th Jubilee as a highlight. "There's something there for just about any musical taste. If you like folk, rock, blues, jazz, bluegrass, country, dancing or clogging, it's all there. Then there's the food and the fun carnival rides."

Kelly said she's jazzed about Steel Pulse's Friday roots reggae concert and Sunday's country showcase with Rodney Atkins.

"Steel Pulse will certainly get the crowd excited and will provide a good kick-off for the weekend," she said. "And, then, I'm a huge country music girl, so I'm looking forward to the Sunday concert."

Kelly said the Jubilee offers two unique attractions.

"All of the 4-H events are wonderful, they remind us of Chesapeake's rural roots, and it allows young people to see, touch and, yes, smell a variety of livestock," she said. "And then we have this huge barbecue cookoff that will bring in more than 40 teams from across the country."

She's referring to the fifth annual Chesapeake Jubilee BBQ Cookoff sanctioned by the Kansas City Barbeque Society.

There's a reason why the Jubilee was chosen as one of the top 20 events for May in the Southeast by the Southeast Tourism Society, Kelly said.

"With the 4-H, the barbecue cookoff and the rides, it has that hometown feel, that feeling you get down South" she said. "All ages love this event."

Eric Feber, 222-5203,

eric.feber@pilotonline.com