Southern Soul: East Spencer music festival rejuvenates Royal Giants Park
Published 12:10 am Tuesday, October 10, 2023
- The ACE Party Band performs at the Southern Soul Music Festival in East Spencer on Saturday. – Chandler Inions
EAST SPENCER — The field at Royal Giants Park in East Spencer served up a soufflé of Southern soul music on Saturday.
Music began at noon and ran through the evening with Divided by Four, Livehouse, the Ace Party Band and Soultriii performing classic hits.
East Spencer Town Clerk ShaTaira Bailey said that the festival, which began a few years ago, used to be held in front of the town hall at the old Rowan-Salisbury Schools administration building.
Mayor Barbara Mallett added that as the event grew, organizers observed a need for a different facility to host it.
“It got so large that we moved it to the park,” Mallett said. “Last year was our first year having it at (Royal Giants Park).”
With a lineup of local and out-of-town talent, Mallett said they hoped to offer something for people of all ages.
“It’s a really good draw,” Mallett said. “It’s a mixture of music from the ’70s and ’80s and then up-to-date music for the younger crowd.”
In a county where several cities and towns have large signature events, East Spencer officials hope the Southern Soul Music Festival will put them on the map.
“We want this to be a known event like other towns have their signature events,” Mallett said. “This is our signature event, and we want it to grow.”
Based on the attendance on Saturday, word is getting out.
“I saw a community coming out, not just from East Spencer,” Mallett said. “We had people from Hickory, Shelby and Charlotte. We even had someone from New Jersey. We had a variety of places represented, and that is what we wanted to have.
“East Spencer is the original Southern city. That is what we are, and that is what we want to market.”
Ryan Evans is challenging Mallett for the mayoral office. He said that he sees the festival as a way to allow younger residents of East Spencer to participate in their community safely.
“You’re bringing the youth here in a peaceful manner,” Evans said. “East Spencer has such a rowdy name. This right here shows you that people can get along with no issue, just coming together.”
Evans remembers spending time at the park over the weekends when he was younger and wants to see the park return to that type of environment for the people of East Spencer.
“We were playing ball, grilling and frying fish,” Evans said. “You had the cars lined up. Everybody would just come down here and relax.”
With the park undergoing several improvements, it’s been hard to host large gatherings there, but Bailey believes that things are changing for the better.
“We haven’t really had a lot of events down here, so we are hoping to keep getting bigger and bigger each year,” Bailey said.
Royal Giants revitalization
The park has undergone a transformation during the last several years thanks to a grant from the N.C. Department of Parks and Recreation.
“We got a $300,000 matching grant,” Mallett said. “That was the start of the redevelopment of the park with the splash pad and the rehab of the recreational changing facility. We have been steadily trying to make improvements.”
As the funds started coming in, East Spencer officials looked to rehabilitate the park that had previously been closed.
“We tried to bring some life back into the park by doing clean-up days,” Mallett said. “The park was closed for a long time. When I came in 2011, we started having small events to bring life back to the park.”
Bailey added that the town recently fixed up the basketball courts at the park as well.
Royal Giants Park is located at 200 Robinson Road in East Spencer. It has a .4-mile walking trail and is open from dawn to dusk.
