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Celebration South to be held Saturday
Statesboro Blues practice
Statesboro Blues practice - photo by Herald File
Organizers for this year's Celebration South have a modest goal. They want everyone to have a "smidgen of fun."
    "We hope they get a little taste of what can be expected (in the future)," said Connie Hayes, program and facility coordinator for Averitt Center for the Arts.
    Hayes said she'd like to see Celebration South take on the same feel as the Savannah Music Festival held each year. While this year's event is only scheduled to last from 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m., organizers are hoping next year for a larger scale event.
    "Our hope is to get a full-blown festival by next year," Hayes said.
    Headlining the show this year will be the Statesboro Blues Band to perform their annual concert at the steps of Statesboro City Hall.
    "The Statesboro Blues Concert has become an annual spring tradition at the Emma Kelly Theater," said Tim Chapman, executive director of the Arts Center.
    In addition to the Statesboro Blues Band, Midlife Crisis and the Savannah Avenue Blues Band will be performing and others. Also, there will be a square dance performance and step performance.
    For the visually inclined, artists will have displays on Oak Street of their creations.
    A rock-climbing wall will also be on hand for people to try to climb and the Statesboro Natural Gas Department will have barbecue to give away.
    Hayes said Statesboro is a natural place to hold a music festival and is expecting several hundred people to attend.
    "Statesboro and Bulloch County are home to so much musical heritage," Hayes said. "From Emma Kelly to Blind Willie McTell to all the musicians that have come out of Georgia Southern. We're the pulse of music in middle Georgia."
    Some streets in downtown Statesboro will be closed Saturday afternoon for the event, which is free and open to the public.
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