by S. Rotan Hale
It was 30 years ago when the first Henry Street Festival was held on First St. (aka Henry Street), a strip that overlooks nearby downtown. Located in Roanoke’s historic Gainsboro District, the area, known as “The Yard,” is very much a part of local Black History as it once was the mecca of Black business and social life.
Records show “The Yard,” materialized in the early 1900’s and thrived until its demise in the late 70’s. It was alive with nightclubs, hotels, restaurants, doctors’ offices, a record shop and more.
It was also the location of Roanoke’s Black-owned newspaper, i.e., The Roanoke Tribune having relocated there from its original location within the Claytor Service Station at Gilmer Ave. and Gainsboro Rd.
Additionally there was the Star City Auditorium where some most prominent entertainers of that period performed following destruction by fire of Roanoke’s main auditorium used by both Black and White. Celebrities as Nat King Cole, Cab Calloway, Ella Fitzgerald, Curtis Mayfield and James Brown are just a few of the legends that frequented the venue and would eventually stay at the Dumas Hotel.
Little wonder that organizers of the original musical production of Henry Street, (circa 1980’s) saw fit to celebrate this vibrant era and region that is so much a part of Roanoke’s rich Black culture. The spirit of Henry Street has been revived through what has become the annual Henry Street Festival.
This year’s festival, held Saturday, Sept. 14 at Elmwood Park, had its share of vendors, information booths, a beer garden and of course that which no event of this type would be without–the food court, placed this year on Jefferson Street!
As a special 30th anniversary tribute, a mini play, “If Henry Street Could Talk,” was performed by a small troupe of actors with music by Jo Jo Stockton and SoulacouStix. The presentation, directed by Kit Kelso, was written and narrated by Lisa Gabourel and involved several skits based on the original production of the play.
Vocalist Nadirah Wright, a longtime fixture on the local music scene, closed the segment with a moving rendition of Sam Cook’s 1964 classic A Change is Gonna Come.
“Henry Street tells a story, our story, that should never be forgotten, it should be celebrated,” Gabourel stated through her dynamic narration that set the stage for all that followed.
The Loudon Avenue Christian Male Chorus blessed the crowd with its gospel–kickoff of the day’s musical entertainment.
The event included a varied array of performances by such artists as Kazmere, a young “sistah” who delivered the spoken word. Brothers of Sigma Phi Beta, (Radford U) performed a step show and Phat Rob, a local rapper who won the festival’s Roanoke’s Rising Star Competition engaged the crowd in his original Give Me a Reason.
The Mid-day Concert series featured R&B groups, Kemistry, a local band and Spectrum from Greensboro, NC, both of which kept the crowd revved up and feeling the moment.
Things really started to get funky as “Plunky & Oneness” hit the stage bringing back memories of the first festival held actually on Henry Street–at which the group performed.
Jayna Brown, a promising young local vocalist who’s recently returned to the area, sang a most impressive rendition of Keisha Cole’s 2005 hit Love.
Opening the evening concert series was Vivian Green, joined by two back-up singers who took the crowd back with several of her early hits as Emotional Rollercoaster, (2002) and Get Right Back to My Baby (2015). Her set went over well with the crowd.
Ultimately, it was a great day weather-wise for the festival. However when the last group, (headliners Dru Hill) first started their set, lightning unfortunately forced organizers to shut the festival down.
However, despite the early close, the Henry Street Festival, for the most part, went on without a hitch, to the delight of the many who attended.
