Cool Spring Downtown District Announces Fifth Annual Juneteenth Jubilee

Cool Spring Downtown District Announces Fifth Annual Juneteenth Jubilee
Occasion To Be Marked With A Festival in the Park

Organizers are excited to announce the musical talent for this year’s celebration. The opening headliner is Rissi Palmer. Rissi Palmer's gift lies in reaching across all musical boundaries. While she made her mark in Country Music, she is equally at home in R&B music, bringing the entire spectrum of popular music to bear on music she calls “Southern Soul.” In 2007, she released her debut album Rissi Palmer, charting singles, “Country Girl,” “Hold On To Me,” and “No Air.” Since then, Rissi has independently released a Christmas single, her first children’s album, Best Day Ever and an EP titled The Back Porch Sessions. Her most recent album, Revival, was released in 2019 and has been critically hailed as her most personal and uplifting work to date. A few highlights throughout her musical career include performances at The White House, New York's Lincoln Center and multiple appearances on the Grand Ole Opry. She has toured extensively across the country, sharing stages with Taylor Swift, The Eagles, Chris Young, Charley Crockett and many more. As a passionate voice for country artists of color and those who have been marginalized in mainstream country music, Rissi launched her own radio show Color Me Country with Rissi Palmer on Apple Music Country. Rissi is also a Special Correspondent for CMT's Hot 20 Countdown.

 

The marquee headliner this year is Tank and the Bangas. Unique and with a vibrance that could only come from New Orleans, the lead vocalist, Tank has stretched her vocals over quirky raps, poetry, and rich melodies since the release of their first album, Think Tank in 2013. Four years later, they had a viral breakthrough as the winners of the NPR Tiny Desk Contest — an eclectic performance that has now amassed over 14 million views on YouTube. In 2024, Tank and the Bangas released a new 3-part album The Heart, The Mind, and The Soul, a recent winner for Best Spoken Word Poetry Album for The Heart, The Mind, The Soul at the 2025 GRAMMYs. The opening track, “A Poem Is” boasts a feature from Jill Scott — an appearance that Tank is thrilled about especially because her mission with this release is to magnify poetry as a music genre. “This Black Girl” is a self-proclamation of the beauty and transformative power of black woman/girlhood. With The Heart, The Mind, and The Soul, Tank and the Bangas affirm the thoughts, feelings, and complexities of these key parts of self. Tank has always considered herself a poet first, but at the start of her career, she used singing to draw listeners into her music.

New This Year! Cool Spring is pleased to announce a partnership with the Miss Juneteenth Fayetteville Scholarship Pageant, with a crowning ceremony to take place during the Jubilee. For more information regarding the pageant, please contact J19 Unity Pageant Director, Linyi Ridgell, via Facebook (@juneteenth.queens.fayetteville.nc).

The City of Fayetteville are the title sponsors of the Juneteenth Jubilee. “Juneteenth event is about commemorating a pivotal moment in history; and affirming our commitment to diversity, equality and community,” says City of Fayetteville Mayor, Mitch Colvin. “It’s an opportunity for us to reflect on our past, celebrate progress and unite in our ongoing journey towards a more inclusive and equitable future.”

CSDD’s Interim President/CEO, Ashanti Bennett, shares the spirit for this year’s event: “Every year that we do this event, it feels significant, but this year, in particular, we want to mindfully offer a space for reflection and joy, as we ponder events from the past, their re-emergence in the contemporary landscape, and the potential impact on a transcendental future. Gathering in unity and love is a powerful balm during uncertain times.”

The current list of confirmed Juneteenth Jubilee event sponsors includes ABC-11, Fayetteville PWC, Healy Wholesale Company, Inc., Beasley Media Group, Cumulus Media, and Duke Energy with additional sponsorships pending. To learn more about becoming a Juneteenth Jubilee sponsor, please email Ashanti Bennett, CSDD Interim President/CEO at ashanti@coolspringfay.org.

For more information or vendor application links, please visit CSDD's website at visitdowntownfayetteville.com. Vendor applications are open on Eventeny.com; the deadline to apply is Tues, April 2, 2025. Visitors and residents of Cumberland County may follow CSDD’s efforts and announcements on their website at visitdowntownfayetteville.com, as well as on social media on Facebook at @CoolSpringFAY.org or @downtownfayetteville, or on Instagram at @coolspringdowntowndistrict or @downtownfay.

About the City of Fayetteville: The City of Fayetteville is a dynamic, culturally rich community committed to high performance, transparency and innovation. Directly adjacent to Fort Bragg, Fayetteville is home to more than 208,000 residents. The mission of the City is to provide sustainable, high-quality public services for our communities to thrive and businesses to grow. With creative energy, vibrant history and compassionate people, Fayetteville always finds a way. That's why we are America’s Can Do City. To learn more about the City of Fayetteville and City departments or services, please visitfayettevillenc.gov or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter or LinkedIn.

About Cool Spring Downtown District: The Cool Spring Downtown District, Inc. is a charitable, nonprofit corporation formed in 2017 to create and sustain an arts and entertainment district located in downtown Fayetteville, North Carolina, as a vibrant center of artistic, cultural, civic and commercial activity. Visit: visitdowntownfayetteville.com for more about CSDD. For all media inquiries and more information, contact Interim Chief Executive Officer Ashanti Bennett at ashanti@coolspringfay.org or (910) 223-1089.