by Gene Marrano
Festival in the Park returns to Roanoke’s Elmwood Park this holiday weekend for four days of music, arts, crafts, food and children’s activities. Concert highlights include “The Family Stone” on Sunday (May29) featuring three original members of the legendary Soul/Funk/R&B band, “Sly & the Family Stone.” Keeping a Festival in the Park tradition alive (but with a twist), opening for The Family Stone is 1964: The Tribute. Rolling Stone Magazine has called 1964 the “Best Beatles Tribute on Earth.”
Event Zone Executive Director Larry Landolt said last year that some or all of the Festival in the Park events might be moved to the former Victory Stadium site, since attendance was so large on some nights, but that was not the case and Elmwood Park is the venue for all events again. The AEP Festival in the Park 5K and 10K races return on Saturday morning; late entries are welcome.
There is also country music (Emerson Drive) this Friday night, Blues on Saturday (John Popper) and more country on Memorial Day (Eli Young, Brett Eldredge, etc.) Those nighttime shows are ticketed; there is plenty of free music during the day from local and regional acts. See eventzone.org for a complete list of events this weekend during the 42nd Annual Festival in the Park.