Kevin Watkins, president of the Port Huron Chapter of the NAACP, is looking forward to kicking back at an outdoor movie on Saturday night, but he has a lot of work to do before that happens. The NAACP Field Day and Southside Music Fest is one of Port Huron’s favorite events, and it takes a lot of hands to get the work done. This year’s event starts with a parade at Knox Field that winds through southside neighborhoods and ends in Lincoln Park where volunteers, vendors, and community groups will be entertaining, feeding, and educating the community. A 5-on-5 basketball tournament run by The Athletic Factory will keep participants moving and award winners with prizes and, most importantly according to Kevin, “pride.”
This event combines the NAACP Field Day with the Southside Music Festival which used to be called the Southside Alliance Jazz Festival. The events have been combined for the last three years. This year’s featured bands will cover a wider variety of music including jazz, Motown, and pop. Bands will play from 2-8 p.m. with the backdrop of the beautiful Lincoln Park. The event is free to the community because of sponsors like The Community Foundation of St. Clair County, Industrial Park Party Store, Meijer Ft. Gratiot, Michigan Petroleum Technologies, McLaren Port Huron, and City Limits.
Click on the audio track below to hear Kevin on this edition of Locals in the Limelight with Jessie Wiegand.
