A party for Prince at what was once his junior high school

Outside of what used to be Bryant Junior High, a crowd of about 1,000 gathered to honor one of their own. DJs played famous Prince records, food vendors served carnival treats and balloon artists made children smile. A lineup of performances filled the stage as dancers, poets and singers honored the music legend.

Bryant Junior High is now home to Sabathani Community Center. The center organized a block party Saturday to honor the music icon who passed away 10 days ago at age 57.

"To remember our friend, our colleague," said Evette McCarthy, one of the organizers who says she went to high school with Prince and remembers him in the music room all of the time.

McCarthy held back tears as she talked about her classmate.

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"I'm about to get choked up, I really haven't even cried yet, because it hasn't really hit me," she said. "We just miss him, he was a wonderful person, you never heard anything bad about Prince, he was very quiet. But his music touched everybody."

Hennepin County Commissioner Peter McLaughlin came out to the party. He said Prince was a generous contributor to youth activities in South Minneapolis.

"I think it's essential that we remember that this is a genius who grew up here among us right here in Minneapolis and we need to be nurturing the next generation of geniuses," he said. "That's really going to make the community strong."

Organizers say they expect other groups in the community to plan similar block parties over the summer.

A party for Prince at what was once his junior high school

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