Donna Garrett of Columbus is one of thousands who will miss coming to the Jazz Festival here, a summer ritual for her since 1980.

        But she won't miss Cincinnati.

        “I don't think people down there ever really understood how much black folks' dollars meant to their community,” the 42-year-old woman said. “Otherwise, they would have treated us better.”

        Inflated hotel prices and a less-than-warm welcome from downtown restaurants are among the principal memories Ms. Garrett has from her trips to Cincinnati over the years, along with a weekend of music that she said was consistently “excellent.”

        This year's jazz festival has been canceled by producer Joe Santangelo, who cited the lack of a major sponsor, slumping ticket sales and the possible cancellation of headline acts because of the boycott against Cincinnati.

        Richard Morris of Cleveland, who said he has been coming to the festival for 25 years, said he is not surprised to hear of the cancellation, given the boycott that has already kept several high-profile black entertainers from performing here.

        “I've always had a good time in Cincinnati and I'm sad to see it go, but I understand what's going on,” Mr. Morris said. “Cincinnati is going to have to take care of its racial problems before it can have events like this again.”

        Mr. Morris and Ms. Garrett were among the thousands who came to Cincinnati jazz festivals over the years as part of the tour groups organized by MJ Tours, a Columbus firm.

        Myrna Johnson, owner of MJ Tours, sold as many as 2,000 tours for the Cincinnati jazz festival in the years before the April 2001 riots.

        Last year, the number dropped to about 500. Only 200 had signed up this year, Ms. Johnson said.

        “It's very sad,” Ms. Johnson said. “It used to be such a wonderful event.”

        Ms. Garrett, one of Ms. Johnson's most faithful clients, said she thinks the demise of the jazz festival had a lot to do with the racial atmosphere in Cincinnati.

        “A lot of people didn't go last year because of what occurred in Cincinnati,” Ms. Garrett said, referring to the riots.

        “I'm sad about Cincinnati,” she said. “It's a shame we can't go to this concert right down the road from us. But the atmosphere is not good.

        “I hope it comes back. And I hope Cincinnati someday understands the power of the black dollar.”

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