Someone once said the heritage of the past is the seed that brings forth the harvest of the future.
With Greenville Parks and Recreation’s inaugural production of “A Taste of Soul” Culture Festival slated for the weekend of Juneteenth, the City of Greenville and the greater Washington County is expected to see a healthy yield in tourism and three days of soulful enjoyment.
The outdoor event will span Friday, June 17, through Sunday, June 19, on the grounds of the Washington County Convention Center and will commence with a comedy show Friday evening.
Saturday’s schedule of events will consist of a soul food-themed cooking competition along with a concert featuring a notable lineup of musical acts and entertainment to be announced.
In addition, a wide variety of food trucks will be on hand for the duration of the festival and the event will culminate with a “Family, Friends, Fun and Fireworks” Day on Sunday.
“We’re going to try to attract tourism from Louisiana, Alabama, Jackson, Tennessee, Desoto County and so forth,” Chief organizer and Greenville Parks and Recreation director Corey Holmes said. “These proceeds will go back into our facilities as we need new ball field lights at Ward’s Recreation Center to host our men and women’s softball tournaments and new floors in our gymnasium.”
Many of Greenville Parks and Recreation facilities are in need of upgrades and the production of this festival is one of the ways in which it intends to generate revenue to make necessary improvements.
“I feel like this is the one (festival) where if we help one another out, we’re actually bringing tax dollars and tourism to the county and the city to let people know their vision of what Washington County is not that, but better,” Holmes said to officials. “When we have festivals like this, we’re looking to bring people back who are from this area.”
Since the announcement of the event, Holmes has hit the ground running with obtaining sponsorships.
“So far we’ve hit a homerun with a couple of our businesses here and we’ve been around the Mississippi Delta,” he highlighted, noting the event has been in the making for nearly two years.
Anyone who is interested in becoming a sponsor for A Taste of Soul Culture Festival can call 662-820-5821 or email Holmes at cholmes@greenvillems.org.
