The Seventh Avenue Heritage Festival is coming to Columbus next week, building on its more than 40-year history of celebrating the historic entertainment and business district.
Kabir Kareem, festival organizer and state representative for District 41, said the festival has changed a lot from what he first remembered.
Kabir Kariem
“It started as a small celebration for area businesses to say thank you to their customers, with hot dogs and balloons for the kids and a small flatbed truck with a DJ on board. , it has become an award-winning event,” Kareem told The Dispatch on Tuesday.
Billed as “Mississippi’s Largest Free Block Party,” the festival will feature two days of musical performances, vendors and culinary experiences starting Oct. 4 at the corner of 7th Avenue and 15th Avenue North.
The district was a thriving business and entertainment center for most of the 20th century, and was home to many black-owned businesses, including clubs, restaurants, and stores.
Fifth District Supervisor Leroy Brooks, who helped organize the festival in its early days, said Seventh Avenue became a point of pride for the black community. When Mr. Brooks was in high school, he remembers he used to hang out in the neighborhood, which is a block in front of the Queen City Hotel.
leroy brooks
“The Queen City Hotel is notorious for hosting black entertainers and black baseball league players who cannot stay elsewhere,” Brooks told the Dispatch on Wednesday. “But for us, it was a hangout spot.”
Demolished in 2008, the hotel hosted many sports and entertainment royalty, from Don Newcombe and Jackie Robinson to BB King and Ella Fitzgerald.
“Bobby ‘Blue’ Bland was here before he passed away, and I remember him playing at the Seventh Avenue Festival and staying at the Queen City Hotel,” Kariem said.
While the festival pays homage to the neighborhood’s history as the center of African-American life in Columbus, Kareem said it also serves a secondary purpose.
“We are doing this festival to remind the community and the public that we need to revitalize this area,” he said. “This serves as a historic place in our town and in our history.”
The festival kicks off Oct. 4 with Southern soul and R&B artist Ronnie Bell, followed by performances by 2 Piece & A Biscuit and Artistic Music Entertainment. Local DJ and talk show host Rick “Don’t Go” Mason will host Saturday’s festival, which will feature performances from Vic Allen, Magic One, Tre Williams and LaMorris Williams.
In addition to live music, the festival will feature a variety of food and beverage options, exhibitions, educational experiences, and more aimed at showcasing the area’s unique history. Kareem said the event draws thousands of people to the city each year, especially alumni who return to town for the Columbus Metropolitan School District’s homecoming festivities.
“This weekend is homecoming weekend, so we’re expecting a good crowd,” he said. “People go home to visit their high schools, but they also come back to visit friends and family during that time.”
Kariem has hosted the 7th Street Heritage Festival for the past 21 years, a tradition that has continued for more than 40 years. His favorite part about the festival now is seeing how far it has come since its humble beginnings.
“When I think about my childhood memories and where we are today, it makes me feel so good,” he said. “We’re proud of the entertainers we bring here, we’re proud of the people who come and celebrate with us, and we’re just excited to continue this community tradition for so long.” I am.”
McRae is a general assignment and education reporter for The Dispatch.
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