Sitting out on the patio at Dave’s Dark Horse Tavern, old nationally known rock hits cycle through the speakers. But between “Smells Like Teen Spirit” and “Rocket Man,” you’ll occasionally hear a local hit. Something with lyrics like …

“He gave a dollar to a homeless man
and he didn’t have both hands out
because he only had one hand,
he gave a dollar to a homeless man.”

Many in Starkville probably recognize songs by the Puerto Rican Rum Drunks and the voice behind the lyrics – Del Rendon. And if they don’t recognize his songs, they’ll probably know his name. His paintings are hung on the walls and his name is on the stage at Dave’s Dark Horse Tavern – the “Del Rendon Stage.”

Del Rendon was a talented and regionally known musician, painter and creator who spent a majority of his time building up the Starkville arts community.

Known for “selflessly giving his time and energy toward helping others,” when he tragically passed away in September 2005, his loved ones didn’t know what to do – but they got to work trying to find a way to honor his legacy.

“Initially, our first decision related to The Del Rendon Foundation was not to start a foundation,” said Andrew Rendon, one of Del’s brothers and treasurer for the foundation. “But really just to raise money for a scholarship – an endowed arts scholarship at Mississippi State University.”

He said brainstorming how to raise funds for that scholarship is when the idea of The Del Rendon Music and Arts Festival came to be, and on Saturday, the 20th Delfest will be held at Dave’s Dark Horse Tavern.

Honoring Del’s Legacy

“After our first one, people were asking, ‘Hey, are y’all going to do that again?’ And so that’s how we have The Del Rendon Music and Arts Festival,” Andrew said. “We call it Delfest. As I look back, it doesn’t feel like 20 years, it’s been a really fun journey. And you know, we continue to honor Del’s legacy. Del was a great artist, and loved giving back to the community, and so that’s what we’ve been doing for 20 years.”

Andrew says these days, the organization’s Bachelor of Fine Arts scholarship at MSU is currently endowed at more than $100,000, and they are able to give back to the arts community in ways they “never imagined.”

Joe MacGown, a member of the foundation’s board and one of Del’s best friends, said that he is immensely proud of what the foundation has been able to accomplish. MacGown operates an artists residency on his property in Sessums, the MacGown Art Retreat and Studio (MARS).

“Andrew and I were talking one day, he said, ‘Well, let’s set up a stipend for your artist residents,’” Joe said. “So we take some of the money from the foundation as part of the stipend for our artists there. And also, because we’re a registered nonprofit, we receive grants from (organizations) like the Mississippi Arts Commission, … none of that money goes to me. It goes straight from the foundation to the artist.”

According to Joe, because of the foundation’s support, MARS is the only residency program in Mississippi able to offer the kind of stipend given.

Beyond that, the foundation tries to support the arts in multiple other ways: financially supporting bands and performance artists, donating supplies to children’s after-school arts programs, helping high schoolers make independent movies – just to name a few.

Delfest is the organization’s largest fundraising event for its scholarship and general giving fund, but of course it has a dual purpose.
Martin Rendon, one of Del’s younger brothers and a member of the foundation, said that even after 20 years the festival is a conduit for people to get to know Del who might not have known him then.

“There were a few people that were talking a lot about him at a fest,” Martin said. “And I realized they had never even met him. They’re like 20, and they talk about him as if they knew him and his music. And I think that’s a testament to how much we’ve all together carried on his legacy by just keeping it alive.”

The popularity of the festival – and the younger crowd’s interest in him – isn’t really surprising to those who knew him personally. Joe said Del was a man so beloved that those around him (lovingly) fought for the title of being his “best friend.”

Beyond being a great musician and artist, he cared deeply about his broader Starkville community.

“Dale was always just open to anybody,” Martin said. “He would really do anything for anybody. On Thanksgiving, we’d all be together. And Del would constantly be leaving with plates of food for people that he thought about. You know, just some guy that he knew didn’t have any family or anything. So he’d go bring them a plate and spend some time with them.”

That sort of care and love is the blueprint for how the foundation functions.

The organization is run by a volunteer board made up of Del’s brothers, his wife, Christy, and his old bandmates and friends.

“It’s really, really important for us to take most of our proceeds and put it back into the community,” Andrew said. “That’s all we’re doing. We’re raising money, and then we’re putting it back in the community, artists and musicians. We’ve got to pay an accountant every year to help us manage our books, and we have to pay bank fees. But, you know, we don’t have a lot of overhead, so we were really excited about the fact that we put most of that money back into the community.”

Everyone contributes in some way to organizational efforts. Andrew does the bookkeeping, Martin designs the festival posters and T-shirts, Dave Hood offers up the Dark Horse Tavern as a venue each year and they all work together to find the performers, with Joe recruiting some of the MARS artists to set up booths.

Celebrating Delfest 2026

This year they’ll start the festivities off with an art show on Thursday at the Del Rendon Foundation Art Gallery. at 100 GT Thames Suite C1.

The show begins at 5:30 and will feature art by mixed-media artist Tuesday Cosby, an old friend of Del and Starkville native who recently returned home. According to her artist profile, Tuesday approaches art with a “spirit of discovery” and is “inspired by nature, especially expressive cats and delicate flowers.” She creates pieces that blend “curiosity, texture and play.”

On Saturday, the 20th Delfest is set to begin at 4 p.m., with tickets sold at the door for a starting donation of $10. There will be an “Art Village” on the patio, with local artists vending and showcasing their talent. More than 12 artists are set to play on stage.

Memories of Del will be everywhere because, after all, it’s a celebration and a reminder of the large, full life Del lived.

Musicians performing at the music fest are encouraged to include a “Del song” in their setlists, and his brother Andrew may even perform.

“One of my favorite memories of Delfest was about 10 years ago,” Martin said. “Andrew wasn’t here. He was overseas in Afghanistan serving in the military. And we actually had a live feed of him in his tent in Afghanistan, and he was up on screen and he said a few words, and then he played a Del song live from Afghanistan. That was so awesome.”

Del’s family and friends have a lot of great memories of Delfest from over the years.

They love how his music is being introduced to younger crowds and they agree that there probably isn’t a better a better way to honor Del’s legacy.

But still, it’s bittersweet.

“It can be really weird,” Martin said. “It’s an awesome thing, and I really love it. And we have a great time at it. But also the only reason that it exists is that my brother died.”

“I wish none of it existed,” Andrew agreed. “I wish he was still here.”

When you ask Martin and Andrew what they think Del would say about the foundation, the fest, the scholarship and all that they’ve done to honor his legacy, their answers are similar.

He would love it but with a caveat: He didn’t like the spotlight on himself.

“Del was a pretty humble guy,” Andrew said. “He would probably say, ‘What’s all the fuss?’ I think he would be happy and honored that we were doing it, but I think his initial response would be like, ‘Y’all stop that s***! What’s all the fuss? Come on!’”

“We would probably definitely get a smack in the face,” Martin added. “But that was a sign of love. You got a smack on the face from him and then you’d get a kiss on the cheek.”