COVID-19 vaccinations will be available at this summer’s Lincoln Park Live Music Series performances and at the Aug. 21 HarborPark Jazz, Rhythm & Blues Festival, event organizers announced today.
These vaccination stations will be provided by way of a partnership between the Mary Lou & Arthur F. Mahone Fund and Kenosha County Public Health.
Free vaccinations will be available to all eventgoers ages 12 and up (those under 18 must be with a parent or guardian). People who choose to be vaccinated may select from the Moderna, Pfizer or one-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccines.
Incentives will be available to those who are among the first to be vaccinated at the Lincoln Park Live concerts: The first person to receive the vaccine at each concert will receive a $100 gift card and two tickets to the HarborPark Jazz, Rhythm & Blues Festival; the next five people vaccinated at each concert will receive a $25 gift card and two tickets to the festival.
“We’re very excited to make this opportunity available at our summer 2021 concert events,” said Tim Mahone, chairman of the Mary Lou & Arthur F. Mahone Fund. “Providing easy, convenient access to the COVID-19 vaccine fits in perfectly with our mission to promote not only educational opportunities for our youth, but also good health and wellness for everyone in our community.”
A component of the Kenosha Community Foundation, the Mahone Fund provides educational opportunities for economically and academically deserving youth, while supporting healthy lifestyle initiatives in communities of color. It was created in 1999 to perpetuate the legacy of the late Mary Lou and Arthur F. Mahone, noted social justice leaders and education advocates in Kenosha.
Among other programs, the fund sponsors the Lincoln Park Live Music Series, which brings free pop, rock, R&B, salsa and jazz performances to Kenosha’s Lincoln Park each summer. This year’s concert dates are July 14, July 28 and Aug. 11. All concerts include performances by different musical acts at 6 and 7:30 p.m.
The HarborPark Jazz, Rhythm & Blues Festival is a major fundraiser for the Mahone Fund’s programming. This year’s event, to be headlined by jazz artists Alex Bugnon and Marion Meadows and Chicago blues legend John Primer, will be held from 12:30 to 10 p.m. Aug. 21 at Celebration Place in Kenosha’s HarborPark.
More information about both events, including details about ticket sales for the HarborPark Jazz, Rhythm & Blues Festival, is available at https://www.mahonefund.org/.
COVID-19 vaccinations will be available from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at each of the Lincoln Park Live performances and at the HarborPark Jazz, Rhythm & Blues Festival.
Kenosha County Health Officer Dr. Jen Freiheit said the county is pleased to make COVID-19 vaccines available at these and other community events, particularly as work remains to be done in closing racial disparities in vaccination rates locally and nationally.
“Through the work of our vaccine equity task force, we are bringing pop-up vaccine clinics out to community organizations, businesses and events where we can meet people where they are, provide education about the benefits of vaccination and, ultimately, get more shots into arms,” Freiheit said. “Getting vaccinated against COVID-19 is safe and effective, and it’s how we’re ultimately going be able to make the pandemic a thing of the past.”
Atifa Robinson, chairwoman of the Mahone Fund Healthy Lifestyle Committee, said it is critical to provide opportunities for the most vulnerable populations to be vaccinated.
“The COVID-19 vaccination pop-up clinic partnership with the Mary Lou & Arthur F. Mahone Fund and Kenosha County Public Health eliminates the barrier of families not having transportation to vaccination sites,” Robinson said. “The pop-up vaccination clinics are accessible and help to promote health equity within the community. This partnership aims to meet families where they are and build community trust to reduce the spread of COVID-19.”
More information about the COVID-19 vaccine in Kenosha County, including links to local providers and statistics about vaccination rates, is available at https://www.kenoshacounty.org/covid-19.