Congratulations from the Heart of Danville (HOD) to the Danville African American Historical Society (DAAHS) on the most successful Soul of 2nd Street Festival yet!

Four years ago, Dr. Bethany Rogers, then executive director of HOD, worked with Michael Hughes and DAAHS to put on the first Soul of 2nd Street Festival. It was a labor of love and an important project that aligned with the HOD’s efforts to preserve history, while also promoting our beautiful downtown.

The HOD is proud to have organized this Festival in its early years — and even more proud to see it thrive independently. This type of growth is exactly the outcome we hope for when we incubate new projects. Sometimes the best ideas just need a helping hand to get started.

We remain supportive of the festival and congratulate the HOD preservation committee on planning and facilitating the children’s activities at the event. We are also happy to hear that the DAAHS was able to raise more money for the festival than ever before. This is an important event for our community and our citizens rose to the occasion!

We look forward to continuing our partnership and our support of this significant event.

Valery M. McMann

Chair, Heart of Danville