Bonnie Lucas didn’t hesitate to dance as soon as the Deacon Bluz & Holy Smoke band played the first note in front of the African-American Museum at this year’s Bessie Smith Strut, a Riverbend Festival tradition since 1986.
“Every year since we’ve been here we come to the strut,” said Walles Lucas, while his wife danced to the music and he sat on the grass enjoying a barbecue sandwich. “She just loves to dance, and I’m a musician, too.”
Mr. Lucas and his wife, Bonnie, moved to Chattanooga from California three years ago.
Jason “Lefty” Williams, who played at the MLK stage, opened with “I’m Fine” and finished his set with “Sounds Like a Plan.”
On the other side of M.L. King, Andrew Allison sat at Miller Plaza enjoying the music by the Daddy Mack Blues Band. Often swaying back and forth to the rhythm of the guitar solos.
“The Strut and the arts in general are the best thing going for Chattanooga,” said the 52-year-old Chattanooga native, who came back three years ago after living in Missouri for 20 years.
The smoke and smell of barbecue coming out of the pits filled the air of the entire street. Choices for food and beverages were abundant, as well as vendors offering everything from dresses to sunglasses and paintings.
DeAngelo King, owner of King Wing, said this year the Strut had a very special meaning for him.
“This year I’m competing with my brother, I’m competing with the best,” said Mr. King who opened his business last year and had a food stand next to his brother’s The King’s Smoke House.
For the first time after a 2003 deadly shooting, event organizers created an outlet for people who wanted to continue past the 9 p.m. usual curfew.
An After the Strut blues concert and party was held inside the Bessie Smith Hall and organizers expected between 100 and 150 people. The Bessie Smith Strut usually attracts about 40,000.
Carmen Davis, curator and education director of the African-American Museum, said the event was to expand Riverbend beyond the Riverfront. Friends of the Festival partnered with other organizations such as the museum and the Tennessee Aquarium for the after parties.
Perla Trevizo joined the Chattanooga Times Free Press in 2007 and covers immigration/diversity issues and higher education. She holds a master’s degree in newswire journalism from Universidad Rey Juan Carlos in Madrid, Spain, and a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Texas. She was selected as an International Reporting Fellow by the International Center for Journalists and in 2009 received an honorable mention for her story “Families Broken Apart” from the Tennessee ...
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