Southside Summer Music Festival to be held July 14-15

Southside Summer Music Festival to be held July 14-15June 20, 2006Kelly Homan Rodoskikahoman@syr.edu

Late last year, a group of South Side residents and business owners, with the support of Syracuse University, formed the Southside Community Coalition with the goal of spurring economic revitalization of the area through the development of cultural, economic and educational opportunities for the South Side community.

Coalition members have planned an event that they hope will not only provide entertainment and showcase some of the area’s best talent, but will bring new business and visitors to their neighborhood. The first Southside Summer Music Festival is planned for Friday, July 14, and Saturday, July 15, and will be held outdoors at the corner of South Salina and Colvin streets. Major sponsors of the festival include the Southside Community Coalition, Syracuse University, Clear Channel Radio and National Grid.

The festival is free and open to the public. Those attending are encouraged to bring lawn chairs; coolers will not be permitted.

Performances in a wide range of music media — such as blues, hip-hop, urban, jazz, dance and spoken word — will take place simultaneously on two stages from 6-10 p.m. Friday and 1-8 p.m. on Saturday. Performers will include well-known performers such as Ronnie Leigh, Roosevelt Dean, Seth Marcel, Soft Spoken and the J-Project, as well as performers who are looking to further their musical careers. SU alumni who now work in the music industry plan to attend the event.

“We want to attract people from the South Side as well as neighboring communities,” says coalition spokesman Khalid Bey. The coalition plans to make the Southside Summer Music Festival an annual event, one that will grow naturally and will continue to add value to the South Side community.

For more information about this year’s Southside Summer Music Festival, call Bey at (315) 516-1312.