The festival will be held at the American Legion on American Legion Road on April 16 from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. both inside and out.

(More information on the event, including the menu and sponsors list may be found by following this link or by calling Tripp at 252-578-6761)

Tripp said those attending are encouraged to bring lawn chairs and 10 by 10 tents. The early forecast calls for sunny skies and a high temperature of 73 degrees.

This event is a spinoff of an earlier one which featured Steve Owens and Summertime and raised funds for the Boys & Girls Club of Halifax County.

The beneficiaries of next Friday's event will be Doris Mack and her organization System of Care; Roanoke Rapids High School's Project Graduation; Mildred Moore and her Scotland Neck Recreation Center; Carolyn Battle and the Lincoln Heights Community Center and the Haliwa-Saponi Tribal School in Hollister.

Joey Landen will be the DJ and MC, and will spin beach music and other genres. The festival will also feature the local band Hobgood Players who will play country and pop and Miss Minnie of Sharpsburg who performs beach, R&B and soul.

For Tripp, the event, is “a way to show I care for the community and a way to give back to the community.”

While the larger objective of the festival is to raise funds for the five organizations, Tripp is also asking attendees to bring non-perishable food items to the event so the sheriff's office can begin stocking a food pantry. “Halifax County is one of the largest counties in the state — from Littleton to Hobgood. It's a poor county. We've beat the Tier 1 status to death. We see it on a daily basis. It hurts me to see any child go hungry.”

Tripp hopes to have the food pantry open soon and donations may be brought to the sheriff's office in Halifax. “We're getting calls for donations. We consider it a local mission.”

Meanwhile, 23 sponsors have signed on with the festival, Tripp said. “It's going to be a good way to have fun and we're very grateful for their participation.”