EAST SPENCER — Little Giants Park in East Spencer was the place to be last Saturday, as the town celebrated its signature event the Southern Soul Festival.

Saturday was the fourth installment of the annual event and the second time it’s been held at Little Giants Park. As it has grown, the word is getting out.

“A lot of people love this event,” Town Clerk Shay Bailey said. “Some of the people who came this year, it was their first year.”

Bailey indicated that they ramped up advertising efforts, too, utilizing local airwaves from nearby radio stations. 

The lineup featured four bands: Soultriii, Something for the People Band, The Choice Band and Melodic Minds Music Group.

Bailey said that Soultriii’s appearances at the event predate the move to Little Giant’s Park. 

“This is their third year with us,” Bailey said. “They are always a crowd favorite, so we like to bring them back.”

As preparation got underway, Bailey took to Facebook to solicit input from the community for possible band suggestions. 

“I was asking on my Facebook page who people would like to see,” Bailey said. “Everyone kept tagging (Melodic Minds Music Group). They are local. I clicked on their page and we were listening to their music. I thought they sounded good. That is how we got them.”

Town Manager Michael Douglas helped secure the Something for the People Band, which actually led to the final piece of the puzzle, the Choice Band, joining the lineup. 

What no one expected was Douglas getting up on stage with the Something for the People Band and belting out some vocals. 

“Oh my gosh, I did not think he would actually go up there,” Bailey said. “When he went up there, I thought this man was crazy. I loved it. To see your town manager up there dancing and singing, the residents just loved it, too.” 

Bailey estimated that they had anywhere between 500 and 1,000 people in attendance, which proved fruitful for the vendors. 

“All of our vendors sold out,” Bailey said. “That was a good thing. That’s what I was wanting to make sure happened.”

As city employees fine tune the process, Bailey said everything is becoming much smoother and efficient, ultimately enhancing the experience for the attendees.

“Afterwards, some people were coming up to us and asking about utilizing the park and asking if they could work with us and do other festivals here,” Bailey said. “I think it was a huge success and I love the praise the town received.”

Bailey also pointed to the reunions of friends that took place on Saturday as something that made the event even more special. 

“Every town should have that hit, that one big event,” Bailey said. “It brings everyone together and with us being a small town, when we have that event it feels like it’s a class reunion or a family reunion. There are so many people who have not seen each other in a while.

“I was getting introduced to people who grew up here but moved away but came back for the festival. There were people who had not seen each other in 10 or 15 years. We deal with so much in this world, it was great to see that. I just loved it.”

Bailey added that the event would not be possible without the Rowan Arts Council. 

“We appreciate the Rowan Arts Council,” Bailey said. “That is how we first started doing our Southern Soul event. They had a grant. We really did not know what we were doing. We just went with the criteria of the grant and that is how we got started.

“Every year, they give a grant that makes it all possible. Without that grant, it would be a lot of hard work.”

Mark those calendars for 2025. Southern Soul is returning the first Saturday in October.