Video: Soul of Second Street celebrates local citizens

The 2024 Soul of Second Street Festival was held on Aug. 9 and 10 with the theme of “Remember the Times.”

The festival served to celebrate Danville’s former Black business district, which was torn down and is now Constitution Square, and the often-overlooked history of the people who lived and worked there.

“There were barbershops, pool rooms, doctor’s offices, all types of things,” said Danville-Boyle County African American Historical Society President Michael Hughes. “We want to keep celebrating, we want to remember.”

On Friday, locals gathered at The Showroom in Danville for food, music, displays and an honoree ceremony.

Three citizens received “Community Appreciation” awards for being long-standing pillars in the community. They were Eustatia Johnson, Alonzo McGuire, and the 2024 Festival Queen Rosetta Ford.

McGuire graduated from Bate High School in 1962 before serving in the United States Army for two years and the army reserves for 18. He is a lifelong member of First Baptist Church and had a more than 50-year career with the Danville-Boyle County Parks and Recreation Department.

Johnson attended Bate High School and later graduated from Danville Nursing School in 1971. She would go on to attend barber college and opened her own shop in 1986 until her retirement 32 years later in 2018. She continues to serve friends and longtime customers.

Ford celebrated her 98th birthday this year and is the oldest living member of First Baptist Church. She was an original member of “The Voguettes,” one of Danville’s oldest Black social clubs. She was named festival queen for the numerous lives she has positively impacted in the Danville community and for her numerous contributions to the DBCAAHS, of which she has been a contributor since their founding.

The festival held its first-ever parade down Danville’s Main Street on Saturday, followed by music, food, vendors, and kids activities at Constitution Square.

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