Reggae Block Party honors legacy of a music icon

It was Kia Hostetler's birthday on Feb. 24, so she decided to head to downtown Sarasota with her friends who were visiting from Pennsylvania for another event she had yet to experience for herself.

Before long, the whole group was in an energetic mood and eager to dance to the beat of the reggae music. Hostetler said her friends were now convinced to come live in Sarasota as well. 

"Once you experience the magic of Sarasota and the diversity that is here, it makes you want to be here," she said.

The 8th Annual Reggae Music Block Party hosted by Jah Movement and held outside The Gator Club, which also participated, recognized not only reggae music, but also a figure in its Sarasota history, the late Oswald Caines of Democracy Reggae Band. 

Caines founded the band after he arrived in Sarasota from the Caribbean in the 1980s. Caines' daughter Makeeda Caines said that the contributions of her father were innumerable. 

"I love all this; I get to see my father's legacy live on all the time. There are so many people that I meet that say, 'Your daddy saved my soul. Your dad was my best friend. Your dad talked me off suicide. Your dad made his music live in me. And this is years later, and we're still singing."

The good vibes extended all around the event space. 

"I'm loving it, I'm enjoying the atmosphere, just being able to show my art," said Sarasota artist Eliza Seabrook, who returned to Osfest for the second year. "It's a new energy for me, and it's bringing a lot of amazing things for me."

A portion of the proceeds from the ticket purchase benefited the 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, Queens of Domestic Violence Awareness.