EAST SPENCER — Music was in the air, along with more than a few fireworks, this past weekend at Royal Giants Park in East Spencer.
The Southern Soul Music Festival is typically held during the first weekend in October but was moved this year. The annual event had dual functions this year as it also served to celebrate the northern Rowan County town’s 125th anniversary. The town has been commemorating its founding throughout the year, but made sure to go all out on Saturday.
“People were line dancing, and it was just like a big community party,” Mayor Barbara Mallett said. “It was so much fun. I talked to a woman who said she had lived in East Spencer for six years and this was the first year she had come and that she can’t wait to come next year. That is what we want.”
Mallett said that when the sun went down, it got a little colder than expected, but that just gave more people the chance to move around a little bit to stay warm. It also gave the East Spencer town officials a chance to hand out some hoodies.
“The board of aldermen pitched in, and we were giving away T-shirts and hoodies because it was cold,” Mallett said. “I think we really did a wonderful job, the staff, everybody that took part, especially the staff, because they have worked so hard to make it all happen.”
Mallett said on-site reviews matched that sentiment.
“It was extremely well attended,” she said. “We had good support from our citizens and good comments from people that attended. I met a couple from Michigan, and they had made this their second trip.”
Meanwhile, Mayor Pro Tem Shawn Rush said, “The Southern Soul Music Festival was amazing. So many visitors came out to celebrate our 125th anniversary.”
Rush mentioned that Rusher Farms Commerce Center deserved a special thanks for allowing them to use their parking spaces to shuttle visitors to the park.
The mayor pro tem also talked to a recently transplanted resident who commented on the positive nature of the festivities, as well as a couple who moved away from Rowan County but returned for the event after seeing it on Facebook.
The musical lineup included Queens Quartet, Al G and Friends and SoulTriii.
Several prominent locals and their families were recognized as well. That included Erma Jefferies, Reginald Massey, Jalon Walker, Javon Hargrave, Betty Culp, Lovaine White and Family, and KiddieLand Day Care.
The event culminated with a large fireworks display that lasted more than 20 minutes.
“That was the first time in East Spencer that we have celebrated with fireworks like that,” Mallett said. “We wanted to make sure that our former town manager Michael Douglas gets credit. He was instrumental in all that. We have to give him his kudos for that part of the celebration.”
The event offered a variety of cuisines prepared by area chefs and vendors. The town also raffled off numerous prizes, including a big-screen television.
“One hundred and twenty-five years that East Spencer has been in existence deserves a celebration,” Mallett said. “We have had some tumultuous times, so why not celebrate what East Spencer has been, what it is now and what it can become. Not everything will be a celebration, but when we can be positive, let’s celebrate it and tell our story. We are a vibrant part of Rowan County and a great place to live and raise your family. That is what the celebration is all about.”
