The day-long festival includes the sale of soul-food favorites including greens, macaroni and cheese, yams, chicken and corn as well as performances by Morris Day and the Time, SOS Band, Confunkshun, Midnight Star, Cincinnati’s Bootsy Collins and Dayton’s funk band Lakeside.
Remaining tickets are $32 to $65 at ilovesoulfood.com and at several local businesses (listed on the website) for the event hosted by Huggy Lowdown and Chris Paul of the Tom Joyner radio show.
Pat Williams, president of the foundation, said the event is more than just another music festival.
“Although the food and the entertainment is the attraction, it is by no way the mission of the Soul Food Festival,” he said. “The mission of the Soul Food Festival is to be an information platform for the community.”
Festival vendors include organizations that focus on topics like health and wellness, workforce development and financial literacy.
“The soul food festival is basically an educational platform,” he said. “A person struggling in the arena of information can come and retrieve information that will elevate their lifestyle.”
He noted that organization that provide community enriching service have space at the festival free of charge.
“This is a major ‘grown folks’ event where you can come out and be who you are without being judged,” Williams said. “It is way beyond just coming out, shaking your feather tail and eating oxtails.”
Formed in 2006 with shows in Oklahoma City and Nashville, Tenn., the traveling festival is expected to visit 25 cities this year.
This will be the first time the festival hits Dayton. If community support and attendance is strong, Williams said it could return.
He said Dayton is uniquely positioned geographically to draw music and food fans from Cincinnati, Columbus, Indianapolis, Toledo and even Cleveland and Louisville, Ky. Williams expects as many as 10,000 music fans.
June is Black Music Appreciation Month.
Marchal Edwards of WROU 92.1-FM said he believes the Soul Food festival has the strongest lineup of any festival in the region this weekend and is geared toward a black audience.
"We hope that the turnout is overwhelming enough that that the promoter will come back next year," he said. Edwards is helping with the event. He pointed out that R&B singers Kenny "Babyface" Edmonds and Will Downing will perform at 7:30 p.m. Sunday at the Fraze in Kettering.
“It is a great weekend for music in Dayton,” Edwards said.
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