MARYSVILLE By all accounts, the place was packed.
People were standing shoulder-to-shoulder and many were sitting on the floor, said Totem Middle School teacher Jim Strickland.
Along with lots of student and former-student helpers, Strickland was one of the organizers of Jamberfest, an open mic night for Marysville teenagers held early Friday evening at Vinaccio Coffee on Fourth Street.
The events name was actually a squashing together of the two students who dreamed up the evening.
Its supposed to be just kind of a night where kids can sort of showcase their musical talent, said Jason Guanzon, a seventh-grader at Marysville Middle School.
Jason not only helped put together the evening, but was scheduled to serve as host, introducing the approximately 10 acts that took the coffee house stage.
Amber Akin said the idea for the open mic night really started rolling a few months ago. She helped introduce the idea at a meeting of the Marysville Youth Action Network, a student group put into motion by Strickland.
It was really supposed to be kind of an experiment, Jason said. Strickland thinks that experiment was a success.
The talent was actually way above what I was anticipating, Strickland said, noting two local student performers sang original songs. He hopes to do it all again, probably at the same location, the first Friday of next month.
With any luck, it will become a regular thing, Strickland said.
A graduate of the Marysville school system now attending Skagit Valley College, Ashley Toolson helped pull together some of the acts for Jamberfest. Although the evening consisted mostly of music, Toolson hoped to attract spoken-word performers or even dancers.
Really, people could come and express themselves anyway they wanted to express themselves, she said.
Toolson took to the stage herself with some original artwork, encouraging those in the audience to look at themselves and the world from different perspectives.
According to Strickland and others, the crowd was an appreciative mix of students and parents. Some of the latter used video cameras to capture the performers on stage.
All in all, Strickland said, the feel of the event was very positive and exciting.
With a little bit different feel than most youth groups, Strickland launched MYAN in the local school system last year. The group has no specific mission, but looks to give students a chance to express their ideas and the means to make those ideas a reality. The open mic night might be the groups biggest public undertaking so far. MYAN first got some public attention in October when, of their own initiative, some Marysville-Pilchuck High School students began teaching break dancing to younger students at the local YMCA. The idea was hatched through MYAN.
The break dancers are some of the most talented, passionate young people Ive ever met, Strickland has said. They are making our community a better place for kids and theyre having a blast doing it. Thats impressive.
For the future, at least one MYAN member still is pushing the idea for a public BMX park in Marysville. A community garden project has been on the MYAN agenda as well, as has planning for a Cinco de Mayo celebration at the schools. Strickland and MYAN also plan a Youth for Peace rally in Everett on March 1.