The Southside Blues Festival is returning to Townsend Park this weekend.
Southside native and District 4 Supervisor Jeff Smith said the festival has been going on for 19 years. He and late Ward 1 Columbus Councilman Gene Taylor founded the event in 2006 to bring southern blues entertainment and unity to Columbus.
“It galvanizes community,” Smith said. “We constantly talk about the things that divide us, but we very seldom talk about the things that bring us together.”
Smith said the festival kicks off Friday with a softball tournament on the north side of the park starting at 5 p.m. and youth events on the south side of the park starting at 6. The youth portion includes free food, games, prizes and more.
Live entertainment will start at the park at 9 p.m. Friday with performances by Marcus Selvie & Brickhouse Band, along with the 601 Live Band.
Festivities continue at 9 a.m. Saturday with the championship games of the softball tournament After a break for the hottest part of the day, the festival’s musical performances will continue at 6 p.m.
Both days, Smith said, there will be about 12 to 15 vendors in the park selling food and other items for festival goers to enjoy.
Rick “Don’t Go” Mason, a local DJ and talk show host, will emcee the festivities. He said the festival includes a wide variety of performances, including both DJs and live performances.
“It’s going to be kids-friendly early in the day, and then adult-type music later,” Mason said. “It will be southern soul, which is something like blues, but not blues. … And of course, R&B. All of those genres of music will give all nationalities the chance to come together and have a great time.”
Musical artists performing Saturday include DJs Boss Hog/TrackDawg, along with DJ Love Bone from MIX106.1. There will also be live performances by Artistik Band, Falisa Janaye, Omar Cunninham, O.B. Buchana, Chris Ivy and Lamorris Williams.
The festival acts as an opportunity to bring people together, Smith said, and some members of the community use it as a weekend to hold reunions while enjoying the music. Mason said the blues festival will also include a “Gone but Not Forgotten” portion, recognizing the local community members that have passed away.
For more information on the Southside Blues Festival, join the festival’s group on Facebook.
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