By Mike O’Neal
Staff Write
This year’s Riverbend Festival continued the Monday night tradition of inviting everybody to a free, downtown block party.
The Bessie Smith Strut transforms M.L. King Boulevard into that party place with world-class musicians, home-cooked barbecue and ample chances to stare at friends and strangers alike.
“People come together, laugh, talk and enjoy one another,” William Watson said as he sat in the shade listening to Walter “Wolfman” Washington and watching the curb-to-curb crowd flow past. “That’s what life’s all about. It can’t get much better.”
Mary and Calvin Davis were among those who came to watch and listen but not to stroll from stage to stage while shadows lengthened in the late afternoon sun.
“It’s too hot to be strutting,” Mrs. Davis said. “We like to sit back and watch everybody have a good time.”
For some, the Strut is a time to dance.
Rob and Julie Cowan, of Dalton, Ga., said they have attended the strut for about 14 years and have brought their 5-year-old daughter, Sadie, with them since she was born.
“Her first was in a stroller,” Mrs. Cowan said after watching her husband and daughter dance to “Wolfman” and his band, the Roadmasters.
“These bands are great,” Mr. Cowan said.
He said he was familiar with the band from his days as a Tulane University student in New Orleans. “It’s lots of funk, it’s lots of fun,” Mr. Cowan said.
Among the strutters were infants, including 7-month-old Chloe Daugherty, whose mother, Angel, said she had attended last year’s Strut “undercover.”
Ashley Page, 22, brought her 2-year-old son, Tre, to the event and kept him close by using a red leash decorated with the Sesame Street character Elmo.
“I didn’t want to lose him,” she said.
Ms. Page said she remembered liking fireworks and funnel cakes when she attended Riverbend as a child.
“Now it’s fireworks, funnel cakes and beer,” she said.
Casey Lehman, 23, a student at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, said he was making “some extra bucks” by dressing as a giant Miller Lite beer can and strutting through the crowd.
While adult beverages were readily available, police reported making no arrests during the event.
“It’s a well-behaved crowd tonight,” said Lt. Charles Lowery of the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Department. “Cool temperatures may lead to cool heads.”
A steady breeze kept temperatures cooler Monday evening, compared to the 90-plus-degree heat over the weekend.
Trimming the duration of the event may have helped reduce the potential for rowdiness, but it also meant less time for vendors to pitch their wares.
“They’ve cut it too short,” said Robert Jones who was selling T-shirts at the corner of M.L. King Boulevard and Foster Street. “People don’t start coming until it’s nearly time to close.”
Dayna and Tom Eddy, of Jasper, Tenn., are avowed blues fans who come every year to the Strut. This year they came to see DuWayne Burnside, son of blues legend R.L. Burnside.
“I’m going to try to tear it up tonight,” Mr. Burnside said before stepping on the stage in the 600 block of M.L. King Boulevard, very near the railroad overpass.
The bluesman played a Riverbend side stage Sunday night and said he was enjoying his first visit to Chattanooga.
“Everybody is so cool,” he said. “I’d heard about the Strut, but never about Riverbend. This is just like being home in Mississippi.”
Not even festival promoters could have arranged that just as the crowd pumped fists in the air and cheered for his final song, a Norfolk Southern train crossed behind the band, sounding its horn in salute to another Bessie Smith Strut.
E-mail Mike O’Neal at moneal@timesfreepress.com
Three-year-old Lily Grace Mitchell gets a prime view of the crowd along M.L. King Boulevard Monday while riding on the shoulders of her father, Steve. Lily has attended the Bessie Smith Strut every year of her life.
Staff Photo by Dan Henry
Staff Write
This year’s Riverbend Festival continued the Monday night tradition of inviting everybody to a free, downtown block party.
The Bessie Smith Strut transforms M.L. King Boulevard into that party place with world-class musicians, home-cooked barbecue and ample chances to stare at friends and strangers alike.
“People come together, laugh, talk and enjoy one another,” William Watson said as he sat in the shade listening to Walter “Wolfman” Washington and watching the curb-to-curb crowd flow past. “That’s what life’s all about. It can’t get much better.”
Mary and Calvin Davis were among those who came to watch and listen but not to stroll from stage to stage while shadows lengthened in the late afternoon sun.
“It’s too hot to be strutting,” Mrs. Davis said. “We like to sit back and watch everybody have a good time.”
For some, the Strut is a time to dance.
Rob and Julie Cowan, of Dalton, Ga., said they have attended the strut for about 14 years and have brought their 5-year-old daughter, Sadie, with them since she was born.
“Her first was in a stroller,” Mrs. Cowan said after watching her husband and daughter dance to “Wolfman” and his band, the Roadmasters.
“These bands are great,” Mr. Cowan said.
He said he was familiar with the band from his days as a Tulane University student in New Orleans. “It’s lots of funk, it’s lots of fun,” Mr. Cowan said.
Among the strutters were infants, including 7-month-old Chloe Daugherty, whose mother, Angel, said she had attended last year’s Strut “undercover.”
Ashley Page, 22, brought her 2-year-old son, Tre, to the event and kept him close by using a red leash decorated with the Sesame Street character Elmo.
“I didn’t want to lose him,” she said.
Ms. Page said she remembered liking fireworks and funnel cakes when she attended Riverbend as a child.
“Now it’s fireworks, funnel cakes and beer,” she said.
Casey Lehman, 23, a student at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, said he was making “some extra bucks” by dressing as a giant Miller Lite beer can and strutting through the crowd.
While adult beverages were readily available, police reported making no arrests during the event.
“It’s a well-behaved crowd tonight,” said Lt. Charles Lowery of the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Department. “Cool temperatures may lead to cool heads.”
A steady breeze kept temperatures cooler Monday evening, compared to the 90-plus-degree heat over the weekend.
Trimming the duration of the event may have helped reduce the potential for rowdiness, but it also meant less time for vendors to pitch their wares.
“They’ve cut it too short,” said Robert Jones who was selling T-shirts at the corner of M.L. King Boulevard and Foster Street. “People don’t start coming until it’s nearly time to close.”
Dayna and Tom Eddy, of Jasper, Tenn., are avowed blues fans who come every year to the Strut. This year they came to see DuWayne Burnside, son of blues legend R.L. Burnside.
“I’m going to try to tear it up tonight,” Mr. Burnside said before stepping on the stage in the 600 block of M.L. King Boulevard, very near the railroad overpass.
The bluesman played a Riverbend side stage Sunday night and said he was enjoying his first visit to Chattanooga.
“Everybody is so cool,” he said. “I’d heard about the Strut, but never about Riverbend. This is just like being home in Mississippi.”
Not even festival promoters could have arranged that just as the crowd pumped fists in the air and cheered for his final song, a Norfolk Southern train crossed behind the band, sounding its horn in salute to another Bessie Smith Strut.
E-mail Mike O’Neal at moneal@timesfreepress.com
Three-year-old Lily Grace Mitchell gets a prime view of the crowd along M.L. King Boulevard Monday while riding on the shoulders of her father, Steve. Lily has attended the Bessie Smith Strut every year of her life.
Staff Photo by Dan Henry
