SALISBURY — Just last month, on a Sunday evening, the community gathered, ate watermelon, hotdogs and enjoyed snacks for the latest installment of Twilight Summer.

All over the At the Cross Ministries campus on D Avenue you could see people talking, to each other, enjoying games, music and celebrating the end of Project Cover’s “Twilight Summer” and celebrating Community Day.

Twilight Summer represented Music and Arts Appreciation and the Youth Leadership Project. The non-profit organization celebrated the arts on 3 Sunday afternoons this summer and the community was treated to education on the arts with a special emphasis on R&B, Gospel, spoken word, praise dance, mime and Latin dance.

Project Cover’s executive director Dr. Dee Ellison commented that “as the youth aged our already small leadership program was challenged to allow the youth to explore other summertime experiences; some got jobs, traveled, joined the armed services or perhaps just enjoyed the summertime. We knew that since its inception over 5 years ago we wanted to give them different  life experiences other than what is deemed traditional summer opportunities like sports. Our youth during this time with the assistance of volunteers, completed build projects which included working with vendors to purchase the supplies needed, learned how to can vegetables, writing, technology, leadership skills, music, attended plays, volunteered and other artistic expression.”  

After much prayer, discussion and thought about this summer, the organization came up with Sunday afternoon gatherings that were called Twilight Summer where all types of artistic expression, cultures, history could be saluted and to open it up to the diverse community. The organization invited rappers, bands, choirs, groups, dancers and poets to perform. The youth served as hosts with the assistance of volunteers and welcomed over 300 guests. Project Cover provided food resources (fresh vegetables), school supplies, information on census, voting, health/wellness, community emergency and most of all, created new memories.

“We are grateful to our community partners for assisting with resources including At the Cross Ministries, Soul Resurrection Music, Rowan Concerned Citizens and NC Counts,” Ellison said. “We look forward to growing Twilight Summer and extending our purpose and provision. We are thankful for the opportunities it brings to help us connect with the community at large: Latin X, youth, churches, colleges, law enforcement, education, communication and seniors as examples.”