BRANDON—If you’ve ever limboed or Macarenaed or Cupid Shuffled at the street dance after the Independence Day Parade in Brandon, you’ve enjoyed the work of Derrick Cram, DJ extraordinaire and this year’s Grand Marshal.
Cram operates Jam Man Entertainment, which provides DJs and entertainment equipment for events throughout New England. Weddings, school dances, corporate events, they do it all.
“I’ve been doing the street dance after the parade in Brandon for as long as I can remember,” said Cram in a conversation after his selection was announced. “I remember when the events were all held at Park Village. I thought, ‘This needs a soundtrack.’ So, I told the parade committee I’d provide music and they wouldn’t have to pay me. It went from being background sound to crowds dancing and getting into it.”
“The Parade Committee chose Derrick because of his historic dedication to the Committee’s work,” said Brandon Deputy Town Manager Bill Moore, who chaired the Committee this year. “It was his idea to have the street dance/nighttime pre-fireworks food and fun and it has proven to be one of the best things about the celebration. And he’s never charged us.”
When the festivities moved from Park Village to downtown, Cram kept up the fun. The post-parade street party always draws huge crowds who dance for hours until the sky is dark enough for fireworks. Young, old, and everything in between get their groove on. After 30 years in the events business, Cram knows how to get people on their feet and keep them there.
Originally from Leicester, Cram was raised in the music business: his father owned Music World in Brandon in the 80s and provided music for local events.
“He used to do dances at the Leicester School,” recalled Cram. “I thought it was cool and wanted to do it too. I started DJing in 1994, when I was still in middle school. I did elementary-school dances. I went all over the state with the 4-H club. I started doing colleges like UMass, University of Maine, and the University of Rhode Island. It went from a hobby to a business.”
Jam Man had as many as 15 DJs, including Cram’s brothers Nathan and Justin, going into the pandemic. The business took Cram all over the world. He’s DJ’ed events as far away as China. Aside from special events, Jam Man has a regular DJ gig at the Pickle Barrel in Killington.
The Parade Committee asked Cram to be the 2025 Grand Marshal at last year’s street dance, though the decision wasn’t announced publicly until recently.
“I turned to my wife and asked if I could do it,” he laughed. His wife is Kayla, who was one year behind Derrick at Otter Valley. (They graduated in 2000 and 2001.)
“I was surprised,” he continued. “They usually ask older folks to be Grand Marshal. I asked myself, ‘Am I one of those older folks now?’ But it was a bit of a humbling moment. I didn’t know what to say. It rendered me speechless, which is pretty rare for me.”
The Crams now live in Randolph with their two children, Rylee, age 5, and Aidan, age 3. Cram also works a “day job” at Middlebury College, managing the school’s retail operations at the golf course and ski facilities. He’s currently helping build two new websites for Midd’s ski areas.
“I’ll be sporting festive colors for sure,” Cram replied when asked if he’d chosen an “official” Marshal outfit yet. And he’ll be in the DJ booth at the street dance after he’s completed his Marshal duties.
“We don’t have fixed play lists,” he said. “We read the room to figure out where the crowd is ready to go. So, you can be sure this year’s dance won’t be the same as last year’s.”
Bill Moore added, “Despite him having left Brandon to live in Randolph, Derrick still takes the time to make our community a great place. Without his youthful enthusiasm and dedication, the best Independence Day celebration in Vermont wouldn’t be the same.”
Congratulations, Derrick! Thanks for all the years of fun and great memories. We all look forward to many more.
