What to Expect from the Southside Youth Festival

 By Mary Sansone, Southside Messenger Staff 

On Sept. 21, the ninth annual Southside Youth Festival will be held at Hooper Park in Crewe. The event will be starting at 1:00 p.m. and go until 7:00 p.m. Hosted by Willie and Janice Ragan, the Youth Festival will offer all sorts of attractions, including contests with cash prizes.

The Youth Festival is a non-profit event. However, they will be collecting donations for “youth-related activities in Nottoway and the surrounding counties,” according to a press release from the Ragans. According to Janice Ragan, these “youth-related activities” will range from organizations such as 4-H groups to soccer programs. “They go to … anything youth-related,” she said.

The Ragans have been hosting this festival for nine years now. Janice shared that they hold this event in hopes of kids realizing “they can have a party without drugs and alcohol.” She also said it is their intention “to keep kids safe and let them know that there are people out there who care about them.”

It can be expected to find several different vendors at the Youth Festival this year. Janice said, “We opened it up to all kinds of arts and crafts vendors, and we have food vendors and just whoever wants to come. If they’re there to make a profit, it’s a $25 vendor fee. If they’re non-profit groups they can come for no charge.”

One of the Youth Festival’s biggest attractions is the music contest open to both singers and bands, as long as they are under the age of 19. Janice shared that there have been some changes made to the order in which the music acts will perform this year. She said, “In the past, I’ve allowed them to play in the order that I received their registrations, so this year, we’re doing something different. We’re going to put the names in a hat and draw names.”

The music acts are judged, and the winners will be chosen after all the performances are done. Janice added, “We add extra points for original music. So that kind of gives an edge sometimes. I think people that write their music ought to have a little bit of edge.”

The registration form can be found on southsideyouthprojects.com. Janice said, “We take the first 15 that register. If we get more than that, we usually put them on a holding pattern. If some of them back out, then we move them in.”

There will also be an art contest and a poetry contest held at the Youth Festival. Unlike the music contest, people do not need to register in advance to submit their art or poetry; they just need to bring it with them to the event. “I need their name and age on the back because they are judged on age ability. So if I have someone that’s five versus someone that’s 19, whatever they’re writing or drawing is [judged] by age appropriation,” said Janice.

Other attractions that can be expected include things such as face painting, a rock climbing wall, an obstacle course and bouncers.

For more information on the Southside Youth Festival, visit their website southsideyouthprojects.com