It starts Friday with a pre-party and outside dining and then on Saturday the first Festival of the Roanoke begins at 11 a.m.
Friday’s event begins at 6 p.m. in the 1000 block of Roanoke Avenue and is being sponsored by the Roanoke Valley Chamber of Commerce, said Kim Simpson, president of the Roanoke Avenue Business Alliance.
The restaurants on that block will be serving food on the avenue as Jay Jenkins plays beach music from 6 to 8 and Danny Haislip provides dancing demonstrations.
From 8 to 11 the Castaways will be performing.
The next day, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. the festival begins with music throughout the day, vendors selling food and items such as jewelry and pottery demonstrations.
There will be attractions for children including a wet slide and basketball.
Because the festival is named in honor of the Roanoke River, there will be a river center tent featuring an eco aquarium and information on the river.
An eco tourism bus will take visitors to the Canal Museum and river, Simpson said.
The schedule for Saturday on the north stage in the 900 block is as follows:
11:30 a.m.
Covered by Calvary
Community Baptist Church - LaGrange
12:30 p.m.
Movin' Up
Winterville
1:30 p.m.
Shirley McNeil
Tarboro
2:30 p.m.
George Collins
The schedule for the south stage in the 1100 block is as follows:
11 a.m.
David Johnson
easy listening, Americana
Noon
The Darns
original, roots, blues
1 p.m.
Matt Chambers
Indie, rock
2 p.m.
Automatic Attitude
Edgy rock and alternative
3 p.m.
Timmy Wall
Solo acoustic music from country to hard rock.
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