In decades past, Seventh Avenue North was once a hub for Columbus’ Black community, lined with Black-owned businesses, night clubs, restaurants and shops, with the historic Queen City Hotel at its heart.
For one weekend each year, the street comes bustling back to life with music, food and dancing during the free, two-day Seventh Avenue Heritage Festival. This year, the festival will be held Oct. 4 and Oct. 5.
District 41 State Rep. Kabir Karriem, who has organized the festival for more than two decades, said the event is a celebration of the once-thriving Black business district.
“It’s a celebration of what Seventh Avenue once was,” Karriem said. “We’re hoping to one day bring it back to that greatness, but it takes effort from different entities and policy makers to see the vision. Beale Street was a Seventh Avenue, but the city of Memphis saw the historical value in it, and they transformed Beale Street into what we know it as today.”
Karriem remembers the early years of the festival, which was started more than 40 years ago, when people would gather in flat bed trucks and listen to DJs, while adults danced and children ran through the street with balloons.
This year’s festival will feature food, clothing and craft vendors. The event will be hosted by Rick “Don’t Go” Mason with music by DJ Lovebone, DJ D.South and DJ One Tyme.
The festival will also feature performances by Big Yayo, PB Band & Show, Tre Da Joker, Cosmic Kannection, Carolyn Staten, Rock Rackz and Kirk Wett, as well as gospel performances by Alphonso Bowen and more.
The event will kick off at 4:30 p.m. Oct. 3 and run until about 9 p.m. The following day, festivities will begin at 10 a.m. with the unveiling of a historic marker at the site of the former Queen City Hotel, a stop listed in The Green Book, a guide for African American travelers during the Jim Crow era.
The hotel once housed legendary Black celebrities and performers like BB King, Ella Fitzgerald and James Brown.
“Anyone who was a star at that time stayed on Seventh Avenue,” Karriem said.
‘The place to be’
District 5 Supervisor Leroy Brooks said he remembers the Queen City Hotel as “the place to be” when he was in high school. Brooks said he and his classmates would often meet at the hotel, buy footlong hot dogs and hang around the block.
The hotel was demolished in 2007 after a storm swept through and collapsed much of the building. A historic Blues Trail marker was first unveiled at the site in 2010, but is believed to have disappeared after a tornado several years ago.
Now, a new marker will commemorate the hotel’s cultural significance and the district’s legacy.
Brooks said he hopes the new marker will spark conversations among younger generations who are unaware of the struggles Black Americans faced during segregation.
“There are a couple of generations that have come behind me that really don’t have any knowledge of history and the struggle that African Americans had to endure, especially in Columbus,” Brooks said. “I think to put these markers out, it will hopefully give young people some sense of asking questions on what this marker represents, so someone will have a chance to tell the story.”
A brief ceremony will be held during the marker’s unveiling at 10 a.m., after which, festivities will continue until about 11 p.m.
Karriem said vendor space for the event is free this year. Those interested in registering for a vendor booth should contact him at (662) 400-0873. Attendees are encouraged to bring lawn chairs but are asked to leave coolers and bottled beverages at home.
Brooks, who attends the event every year, believes in the importance of preserving the festival’s legacy.
“I think people need to understand some of these festivals represent certain perspectives,” Brooks said. “They have quite a bit of value because there’s a story behind them. Seventh Avenue Heritage Festival is a story. It’s a story of … the Black evolution of the community, entrepreneurship (and) entertainment. I think we need to keep that story alive.”
As the festival’s tradition carries on, Karriem said he hopes the area may someday be revitalized.
“I want people to learn about the history of Seventh Avenue and what it means to Columbus and Lowndes County and just get involved (and) make it what it needs to be,” Karriem said. “It needs some life. We need investments, whether it’s housing other businesses, we just need folks to take a look at the area and help. Let’s bring it back to what it once was.”
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Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 34 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
