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One big happening family
Roots & Heritage Festival marks its 20th year and is inviting all its friendsBy Mary Meehan mmeehan1@herald-leader.com
If you Go
Root & Heritage Festival
When: Street festival is 6 p.m.-midnight Sept. 5; noon-midnight Sept. 6 with parade at 9 a.m.; and 10 a.m.- 6 p.m. Sept. 7.
Where: Along Elm Tree Ln.
Admission: Most events are free.
Free parking: At Commerce Lexington and the Lexington Visitors and Convention Bureau (Rose St. at Main and Vine sts.), Transit Center parking lot (High St. and MLK Blvd.), Annex Garage (Main St. near police station) or Phoenix Lot (behind Government Center).
Online: www.rootsandheritagefestival.com.
Schedule
Sept. 5
Art exhibit and reception featuring Anthony Armstrong. 5-9 p.m. Carnegie Center for Literacy and Learning, 251 W. Second St. Scherer Boyd, (859) 333-8153.
Friday Nite Blues-N-Street featuring Brian O'Neal, Cissy Williams, 4U, Kenne Wayne. 6 p.m.-midnight. Stage 1, Third St. and Elm Tree Ln. Bennie Mabson, (859) 559-3616
Affrilachian Poet's Reunion Reading. 7 p.m. Al's Bar, 601 N. Limestone.
Sept. 6
Lexington Swingers Golf Tournament. 7:30 a.m. shotgun start. Lakeside and Tates Creek Golf Courses. Marty McKee, (859) 396-8032.
Heritage Parade. 9 a.m.-noon. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. from Fifth St. to Race St. Luceara Cross, (859) 433-9563.
Lyric Theater Open House. Noon-5 p.m. Third St. and Elm Tree Ln. Andrea James, (859) 258-3216.
Live music featuring Lenny Williams, Slave, Glenn Jones. Noon-midnight, Stage 1. Bennie Mabson, (859) 559-3616.
Youth Celebration. Noon-midnight. Stage 2, Short St. and Elm Tree Ln. Toni Floyd, (859) 425-2429.
Affrilachian Poetry and Prose Workshops, led by Kelly Ellis (poetry) and Crystal Wilkinson, author of Blackberries, Blackberries (prose). Noon-5 p.m. Lexington Public Library, 140 E. Main St.
Sept. 7
Gospel Celebration featuring Keith "Wonderboy" Johnson. 11 a.m. -5 p.m. Stage 2. Nico Railey, (859) 494-5231.
Events coming up
The Constant Star. By Actors Guild of Lexington. Sept. 11-Oct. 5. Various times. Downtown Arts Center, 141 E. Main St. $25 adults, $18 ages 65 and older, $15 students. (859) 225-0370. www.actorsguildoflexington.org.
Comedy Night with Roy Wood Jr. 8 p.m. Sept. 11. Comedy Off Broadway, The Mall at Lexington Green, 161 Lexington Green Cir. $10. (859) 271-5653. www.comedyoffbroadway.com.
Eric Benét. Sept. 13. Time, venue and ticket price TBA.
Body and Soulfest Health Fair. 1-4 p.m. Sept. 14. Douglass Park, 726 Georgetown St. Health and wellness information, screenings, exercise demonstrations, door prizes, etc. Camille Watson, (859) 288-2332.
Emancipation Celebration lunch featuring Velma Maia Thomas, historian, author and curator of the Black Holocaust Museum. Noon Sept. 19. Portofino, 249 E. Main St. Reservations: $50.
Forever Free: Abraham Lincoln's Journey to Emancipation. 5-8 p.m. Sept. 19. Lexington Public Library.
Emancipation Celebration. 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Sept. 20. Lexington History Center and Cheapside Park. 215 W. Main St.
Step show and basketball tournament. 2 p.m. Sept. 27. Dunbar Community Center, 545 N. Upper St. For info on step show, Genia Johnson-Smith, (859) 425-2025. For info on tournament, Johnny Washington, (859) 552-0096, or Lee Hayden, (859) 312-9459.
Roots & Heritage Festival Ball. 7 p.m.-1 a.m. Oct. 11. Crowne Plaza Campbell House Hotel, 1375 Harrodsburg Rd. $50. Dinner and dance with music by R.C. Smith and DJ Daddy King. (859) 420-5696 or (859) 608-1933 after 7 p.m.
IF YOU GO: Roots & Heritage Festival
If you don't see someone you know at the Roots & Heritage Festival, you aren't looking hard enough.
"You see old friends. It's sort of like a big family reunion." said Kimberly Henderson-Baird, festival chairwoman. "If you don't see somebody the rest of the year, you will see them at the festival."
In the 20 years since the African-American heritage festival began, the northern downtown neighborhood along Elm Tree Lane and North Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard where it occurs has seen dramatic changes, Henderson-Baird said.
An original goal of the event, which celebrates its 20th year this weekend, was to revitalize an area that was once a thriving social and cultural center. A marked increase in new houses in recent years and the opening this year of William Wells Brown Elementary School are a reflection of the positive changes in the area, she said.
"It started as a way to uplift the area when it was down," said Urban County Councilwoman Andrea James, who can enjoy the festival from a lawn chair in her driveway. "There is a lot of energy around the festival."
But community improvement aside, the festival is also a party of note, said Henderson-Baird. Roots & Heritage has been honored recently as one of the Top 20 events in the Southeast by Southeast Tourism Society.
The draw of old friends and good food is always a highlight. For James, her favorite memory revolves around the "five funnel cakes and four fish plates" she believes helped push her into labor when she was pregnant and resulted in the festival celebration coinciding with her son's birthday.
There will be 200 vendors at this year's street festival along Elm Tree Lane, including a voter registration booth and representatives from the state Republican and Democratic parties.
Although the streetfest is the centerpiece of Roots & Heritage, there are other events this weekend and through the next month.
This year, the Affrilachian poets group scheduled its reunion to coincide with Roots & Heritage. They also are offering a poetry workshop in conjunction with the festival.
"If you don't come you will truly miss it," said Henderson-Baird. "It's an educational, cultural, learning experience for everybody."
A calendar of events appears on Page 5.
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