Monday, June 15, 2009

Spirituality theme of street festival

The African American Street Festival has used fellowship, friendship and fun to grow itself into the annual celebration that took place Saturday.

About 200 people gathered Saturday at the Clarksville Jaycees Building at Fairgrounds Park for the celebration organized by Progressive Citizen Advocates, where the smell of freshly cooked food, the sounds of gospel, hip hop and dance performances all were part of the day's activities.

Francesca Hayes, secretary for PCA, said the event has grown because of increased publicity and interest from the community.

"What happened was we got the word out," Hayes said, who also said the unity of local churches helped make the event a success.

Frank Washington, lead organizer for PCA, said this year's event took a more spiritual theme, but fun was being had by all.

"It's singing, dancing and good food all over the place," he said.

The celebration officially ends today at 4 p.m. at St. John's Missionary Baptist Church with a close-out worship.

The event began seven years ago with the intent of celebrating the emancipation of Tennessee slaves. While the emancipation is still a driving force behind the festival, it has grown to include friends, fun and the creation of fresh memories for those involved.

"It's getting bigger, and that's a good thing," Washington said.

No comments:

Popular content