Columbus is invited to the 10th annual Southside Blues Festival at Townsend Park tonight, Friday and Saturday.
The festival is an annual event organized by the Southside Benevolence Organization, said the organization’s secretary Wendy Blunt, who helped organize the event. It’s a celebration of unity and peace for the entire Columbus community.
In addition to the usual music, food and entertainment, this year’s festival will feature a memorial walk and a live performance from Denise LaSalle, Blunt said.
The festival will kick off with an adult softball tournament tonight, followed by a championship game Friday and musicians Saturday, along with food, drink and family friendly entertainment every day.
This year the event will also include a memorial walk at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Blunt said. Registration is from 6-6:45 p.m. The walk is in memory of Southside residents and others who have helped the community and the festival grow over the years.
“A lot of them are deceased and (the festival) has been passed on to different generations now,” Blunt said. “It’s basically a walk to show the younger generation how we’ve progressed over the years with everything that’s going on. We’re just trying to show that when we’ve been coming up for the last few years, it’s always been about family, unity and peace.”
The memorial walk will begin at Hank Aaron Park and end at Townsend Park. Blunt added that those who wish can bike the walk and that transportation will be provided to take people back to where they parked their cars.
Local musical acts begin Saturday with gospel singing at 10 a.m. followed by R&B at 1 p.m. Denise LaSalle will highlight the performance around 8 p.m.
To register a softball team for the tournament or for more information about the festival, contact Blunt at 662-251-9034.
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