Soul and R&B Classics Headline Music Festival

DJ Starrchild, owner of Da Boatryde in Rocky Mount and radio host on Power 95.5, will host the ECC Foundation’s Spring Music Festival and Backyard Cook-Off on Saturday, June 10, on the Tarboro campus of Edgecombe Community College.

Since 2009, the Edgecombe Community College Foundation has raised close to $60,000 for its scholarship fund through a series of annual music festivals.

This year, with a new host and a different entertainment lineup, organizers said they hope to attract a whole new set of fans to the event.

“We’re hoping to draw from all the surrounding communities and to have a fun day to raise money for scholarships,” says Karen Andrus, ECC Foundation executive director.

Backyard Groove

The Spring Music Festival and Backyard Cook-off is scheduled for June 10 on the college’s Tarboro campus. The gates open at 11 a.m., and festivities kick off at noon – rain or shine. The event is slated to end at 6 p.m. Tickets are $15 before the event, and $20 at the gate.

Kevin Williams, who goes by the name DJ Starrchild on his weekly radio show on Power 95.5, will emcee the festival.

“This year, we’re going to have some Southern soul classics, some R&B classics from the ’70s and ’80s, and some gospel,” Williams says.

The festival also will feature a cook-off targeting amateur grill masters. For a $100 entry fee, the backyard cookers will compete for a $400 first-place prize.

“This isn’t for the professional grill masters who travel the barbecue circuit with their $100,000 grills,” Andrus says. “This is for the backyard griller who enjoys cooking for his family and friends.

Shades of Harmony

“We provide them with the meat – chicken and ribs – and they’ll be judged on taste and appearance.”

The money raised at the event will go into the pot that the Edgecombe Community College Foundation uses to fund scholarships. Each year, the foundation hands out about $100,000 in scholarships to about 100 students, Andrus says.

Food vendors, a Carolina Eagle beer truck, a wine booth, and a water tent will be on hand for festival-goers, and there will be plenty of activities and entertainment.

Backyard Groove, Shades of Harmony, the Rhythm Express Band, and Maurice Wynn highlight the musical acts. In addition, a line dancing group and gospel mimes also are scheduled for the event.

Rhythm Express Band

BUD’S Foundation, a motorcycle safety group, will have a booth to provide educational material at the festival.

There also will be raffles for a 40-inch television, jewelry, gift certificates and other prizes, as well as a separate 50-50 raffle.

“When they reached out to me, I knew I wanted to do this,” Williams says. “This is my hometown.

“And it’s going to be a great festival.”

Maurice Wynn

Tickets to the Music Festival and Backyard Cook-off are available on both campuses, Tarboro Edgecombe Chamber of Commerce, Edgecombe County Memorial Library, Master’s Touch Barbershop, Providence Bank, and etix.com.

For more information or to register for the cook-off, please contact Karen Andrus at 823-5166, ext. 212, or andrusk@edgecombe.edu.