By Sarrah Peters
News Editor
Southside will host its Southside City Fest tomorrow, July 16. The
event will be held from 2 to 10 p.m. at Southside High School.
Admission is free.
Southside City Fest features music for everybody, with five bands
performing throughout the evening. The music starts at 2 p.m. with
Salem Syndrome, a four-member rock band based out of Birmingham. At
3:30 p.m., local favorite Kudzu Junkies, known for its classic rock
music, takes the stage. At 4:45 p.m., the Brooke Daniels Band, a
Cherokee County based country rock group will perform. At 6:15, Them
Dirty Roses, who played the Fest a few years ago, will perform its
southern style rock. At 8:15 p.m., headliner Sammy Kershaw will
perform. Kershaw is a well-known country artist.
The city began looking for entertainment in December 2015, in order to
book the best for the Southside citizens.
“We just wanted to try and do something that would benefit our
residents,” said Mayor Wally Burns.
In addition to music, the Fest boasts over 60 vendors of all kinds,
including food and art and crafts. Children’s rides will be available,
at a fee.
Visitors are welcome to bring lawn chairs, but alcohol, coolers and
pets are not allowed.
This is the tenth year the festival has been held. The festival began
on the 60th anniversary of the city and was such a hit that the city
kept sponsoring the event.
The Southside City Fest attracted 7,000 to 9,000 visitors last year,
with its biggest crowd yet. Burns expects more people to attend this
year.
The City of Southside would like to thank its sponsors: WQSB/Mix
102.9, Buffalo Rock, Etowah County Commissioner Joey Statum, Alagasco,
Greater Gadsden Area Tourism, McDonald’s, Family Savings Credit Union,
Insurance Facilities, McCartney Construction, Metro Bank, Hampton Inn
and Suites, JNJ Associates, Rhea, Boyd And Rhea, McClure, Sewell and
Associates, Alabama Power, Southern Data Automation, Inc, Ronnie
Watkins Ford and more.