Contact: Sharon Bassard
Event Manager
Venture Richmond
Tel: 804.788.6466
Fax: 804.788.6477
26th Year for Street Festival Celebrating
Historic Jackson Ward
October 4-5, 2014
______
Headliner is Midnight Star
RICHMOND, VA – The 2nd Street Festival, presented by Altria and Dominion, returns for the 26th year, Saturday-Sunday, Oct. 4-5, to celebrate the rich culture of the historic Jackson Ward neighborhood. The FREE event is produced by Venture Richmond.
This year, the Festival features headliner Midnight Star on Saturday, and on Sunday premier Virginia gospel artists Larry Bland and the Volunteer Choir Featuring “Promise” will perform before Johnny Houston and the Legends close out the festival.
As always, the 2nd Street Festival takes place the first full weekend in October. Over the years it has grown to be one of the Mid-Atlantic's largest street festivals. Nearly 40,000 people visit historic Jackson Ward to reminisce about the days when 2nd Street was the heart and soul of Richmond's African American community, and was known as “the Harlem of the South.” The festival features four stages of musical entertainment, along with food vendors, a marketplace, a Kidz Zone programmed by the Children’s Museum of Richmond, and Artists Row featuring Larry “Poncho” Brown, Karen Buster, Debbie Crawford, Greg Paige and Kelvin Henderson.
Midnight Star
Formed at Kentucky State University in 1976, MIDNIGHT STAR began as a self-contained party band in the P-Funk/ Earth Wind and Fire mode, and quickly earned a strong live reputation throughout the world. A 1978 New York City showcase inspired Solar Records chief Dick Griffey to sign the group, and early 80’s albums like The Beginning, Standing Together, and Victory gave MIDNIGHT STAR a chance to hone their chops. Everything clicked together with the Certified Double Platinum Plus No Parking on the Dance Floor album that established MIDNIGHT STAR as world-renowned songwriters, producers, and entertainers.
The groups passion and love of the music and their strong desire to keep their fans ultimately satisfied, has shown up in Platinum and Gold as they’ve poured out streams of top 10 and No. 1 hits. It began in 1983 with dance-floor smashes like “Freak-a-Zoid”, “No Parking on the Dance Floor”, “Wet My Whistle” and the lovers ballad of the mid-80’s, “Slow Jam”. The Planetary Invasion LP of 1985 took them to No. 1 with “Operator” and the sizzling “Curious”. In 1986 MIDNIGHT STAR struck gold with the chart buster “Midas Touch” and the title cut from the Headlines LP. The year of 1988 rowed them to the top once again with the No. 1 “Don’t Rock the Boat” (which featured rapper Ecstasy of Whodini) and the top 10 “Snake in the Grass” from their self-titled CD.
MIDNIGHT STAR broke into the 90’s with the smash “Do It (One More Time)” from their Work it Out CD which also featured the sultry ballad “Red Roses”.
This FREE event is produced and managed by Venture Richmond. Venture Richmond is a non-profit organization which engages business and community leaders in partnering with the City of Richmond to enhance the vitality of the community, particularly Downtown, through economic development, marketing, promotion, advocacy, and events. Venture Richmond also produces Easter on Parade, Friday Cheers, TEDxRVA, and the Richmond Folk Festival, and partners with the Richmond Sportsbackers to produce Dominion Riverrock. For more information visit.
2nd Street Festival 2014 Stage Schedule
(Subject to change)
Waverly R Crawley Main Stage ( 2nd & Marshall Street)
Saturday, October 4
11:30am – 12:15 Ban Caribe
12:45pm -1:15pm Grace & Company Fashion Strut
1:35pm – 2:35pm U.S. Army TRADOC Brass
3:00pm – 3:15pm Radio One - Richmond
3:50pm – 4:50pm Plunky & Oneness
5:45pm – 7:00pm MIDNIGHT STAR
Sunday, October 5
1:00pm -1:30pm Sisterly Grace Dance Ministries
2:00pm – 3:00pmLarry Bland & the Volunteer Choir featuring “Promise”
3:30pm -4:30pm Doors Wide Open
5:00pm – 6:00pm Johnny Houston & the Legends
Joe Kennedy Jr. Jazz Stage (3rd & Clay Street)
Saturday, October 4
12:00 – 12:50pm Just Us Band
1:10 – 2:00pm Macon Mann Quintet
2:20 – 3:10pm F.R.E.N.S.
3:30 – 4:30pm Quintessential Jazz
4:50 – 6:00pm James “Saxsmo” Gates Quartet
Sunday, October 5, 2014
1:00 – 1:50pm G7 Jazz
2:10 – 3:10pm Cloud 9 featuring Rudy Leeper
3:30 – 4:30pm Jason Jenkins Quartet
5:00 – 6:00pm Debo Dabney & The Happy Band
Nina’s Bistro Stage (1st & Clay Street)
Saturday, October 4
11:30am – 12:30pm DJ Tree
1:00pm – 1:30pm FM Stereo /Franklin Military
2:00pm – 2:45pm Touch of Charm
3:00pm -3:30pm Spicy Divas
4:00pm – 5:30pm Visions Band
Sunday, October 5
1:30pm – 2:00pm F.A.B. C. Youth Choir
2:30pm - 3:15pm ACCLAIM
3:45 pm – 4:45pm NO BS Brass Band
5:00pm – 6:00pm Grace & Company Fashion Show
Eggleston Hotel Community Stage ( 2nd & Leigh Street)
Saturday, October 4
12:00pm – 1:00pm Stan Scott Trio
1:30pm – 2:00pm Richmond Ballet Minds In Motion Team XXL.
2:30pm – 3:00pm Carlos “Line Dance” Prince
3:30pm – 4:30pm Papa Rule featuring John Mitchell
5:00pm – 5:45pm Sisterly Grace Dance & Modeling
Sunday, October 5
1:30pm – 2:00pm Youthful Praze – Sharon Baptist Church
2:30pm – 3:00pm Sixth Mt Zion Baptist Church Music & Movement Ministries
3:30pm – 4:00pm DJ Kibby
4:30pm -5:15 pm D & G Line Dancing
Venture Richmond, 200 S. Third Street, Richmond, VA 23219
###