Jason Dunovant
Oct 1, 2023
ROCKY MOUNT — The sounds of live bands performing on multiple stages filled Rocky Mount on Saturday for 150Fest. Music lovers walked downtown experiencing a wide range of music both modern and historic.
Rocky Mount’s 150Fest recognized the town’s 150th anniversary by celebrating its musical history. In all, 18 bands took to six stages spread out along Franklin Street. A portion of the street was closed to traffic to allow for people to wander freely.
“It’s pretty cool to see the different types of music all in one spot,” said Misty Burroughs, who attended the festival with her husband Kevin. They live in the Callaway area of Franklin County.
Lifelong Franklin County resident Brock Anderson was also impressed with the variety of music the festival offered. He was waiting for Colby Helms and The Virginia Creepers to perform later in the evening. In the hours before, he was watching the crowds walk the street near the Harvester Performance Center.
“From what I can tell, it looks like a success,” Anderson said of the festival.
Daniel Pinard, Rocky Mount’s cultural and economic development director and organizer of 150Fest, was also impressed with the growing crowds shortly after 3 p.m. when the festival started. It was scheduled to continue until 10 p.m.
“I couldn’t have asked for anything better,” Pinard said of the turnout. He expected it to continue growing as several of the more popular bands would take the stage after sunset.
Rocky Mount Mayor C. Holland Perdue III was one of the many people in attendance Saturday to take in the music. He praised the work of Pinard and others at Rocky Mount to organize the event. He also advocated for possibly making it an annual event.
“I hope we can do it again next year,” Perdue said.