ROCKY MOUNT, Va. (WFXR) — The Town of Rocky Mount hit a milestone this month, hitting 150 its 150th anniversary. On Saturday, Sept. 30, residents celebrated with what they called a 150Fest, celebrating both local history and people.
The festival was held on Franklin Street, which is lined with historical buildings varying in age.
“We are actually next door to the original church location, where slaves and sons and daughters of former slaves took their limited wages of two dollars a week to collect the first 500 dollars to build this original structure,” said Chris Coats, the Pastor of First Baptist Church in Rocky Mount.
Coats believed you couldn’t celebrate Rocky Mount without celebrating the history of the church. He told WFXR that of the 150 years the town has been around, the church had been around for 141 of them.
Guests were able to enjoy all sorts of local vendors, drinks, and crafts. Organizers shared there was fun, games, and activities for all — and all for free.
“You only turn 150 once, so we wanted to make sure the event was free and opened to everyone,” said Daniel Pinard, the Culture and Economic Director for the Town of Rocky Mount.
Pinard says the town has awesome food and beverage scenes, as Rocky Mount has a bunch of heritage crafts. The event also had a Designated Outdoor Refreshment Area (DORA), allowing guests to go into bars and restaurants and get alcohol in a designated cup in a designated area.
There was a kid zone and games for youth as well.
“I can’t wait just checking to see what they have, possibly checking out the kid zone if they have a lot of fun over there,” said Ben Hickle, a young festival goer. He and his sister, Anna Hickle, said they were looking forward to music and hanging with friends.
The driving force of the celebration is the musical lineup and stage setup. Festival organizers said that they wanted to bring out music for everyone.
Rocky Mount 150Fest on Sept. 30. (Emaryi Williams/ WFXR News)
“Rocky Mount is first and foremost a music town. We’re the Gateway to the Cricked Road, we have the Harvest Performance Center. If you’re in town pretty much anytime from Wednesday through Saturday night, there’s going to be live music,” said Pinard. “So it’s just very fitting that a music festival be the way that we celebrate the anniversary.”
From soul and gospel, to counter and rock and even funk, Pinard said the event had a variety of music. He told WFXR that there were a total of six different stages, some were filled by local talent. One at the Harvest Performance Center, one at the farmers market, another at the historic Baptist church, one at the Depot Welcome Center, and two stages sponsored by Cox and Corner Stone. Each was filled with different genres of music
The celebrations didn’t start that day. Pinard says the town has been celebrating all year. Earlier in August, the town honored local businesses and leaders and leaders on the historic Warren Street, with a Warren Street Festival.
“It’s good for the people to keep the cycle going, it brings different people together for different events, and I like it because I never knew so many people that lived here,” said Marcus Daniel, a festival attendee.
Both organizers and festival attendees said the festival was a way to keep history alive, while also commemorating what makes the town great in the present.
Rocky Mount 150Fest on Sept. 30. (Emaryi Williams/ WFXR News)
Saturday, October 1st, 2022 marks 62 years since Nigeria gained her independence from the British Empire. During the turbulent history of this country, there have been notable intersections between politics and Nigerian music. As Nigerian capital cities host colourful parades and government-owned architectures adorn national colours in celebration of the 62nd year of independence, it offers a moment to revisit some of the notable and timeless intersections of our nationhood with Nigerian music. The Second World Black and African Festival […]
