The Jump Street Drive Musical Festival is back this weekend at the Martin Luther King Jr. Center in Lenoir, N.C.!

The two-day event starts at 6:00 pm Friday, July 21, 2023, with a performance by DJ Fuzz. There will also be a special recognition Friday night of Manifred Davenport, better known as Sugar Sweet DJ. There will not be food available on Friday night. Attendees are encouraged to bring their own snacks and drinks.

The festival continues Saturday at 6:00 pm with performances by DeJaVu Band, JaVonne Jones & Frank B., and Adrian Crutchfield. Food trucks and vendors will be on-site Saturday including Bubba & Mert’s Burgers, James Murdock Chicken and Fish, and Mee Mee’s Jewelry.

The Jump Street Drive Music Festival will be in the ball field at the MLK Jr. Center. Bring your own chairs and umbrellas to stay comfy and cool. If it rains, the event will be moved into the gym.

The Jump Street Drive Music Festival is held on the weekend of the fourth Saturday in July. Last year, Mayor Joe Gibbons proclaimed that every fourth Saturday in July will be Jump Street Drive Band Day at the Martin Luther King Jr. Center. The full resolution is below.

WHEREAS, the Tribe of Judah was the first all-black musical group to perform at Lenoir High School in 1967, three years after the school integrated; and

WHEREAS, in 1974, Howard Colbert, Marvin Horton, Douglas Lipford, and Jimmy Perkins, who were past members of the Tribe of Judah, joined Stacy Bowers, Claude Ferguson, and Benny Jones to form a new band; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Ferguson named the new group the Jump Street Drive Band, and all members of the band were from Lenoir; and

WHEREAS, the group performed in Lenoir and around the state from 1974 to 1981; and

WHEREAS, Jump Street Drive Band performed at J.E. Broyhill Park on many Sundays during their career to entertain local residents and supporters, and the band recorded their first demo tape in a studio in Taylorsville;

WHEREAS, Jump Street Drive Band also performed at the Viewmont Community Center (later renamed to the Martin Luther King Jr. Center), Mulberry Recreation Center, The Harpers Whitherspoon American Legion Post in the West End neighborhood, Winston-Salem State University, and North Carolina A&T State University, and

WHEREAS, Jump Street Drive Band opened for The Manhattans, a popular R&B vocal group whose songs “Kiss and Say Goodbye” recorded in 1976 and the 1980’s number “Shining Star” both sold millions of copies, and

WHEREAS, Jump Street Drive Band inspired many members of Lenoir’s black community during their career by representing Lenoir, playing songs that were important to the black community, and providing free local entertainment to residents;

NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, I, Mayor Joseph L. Gibbons, on behalf of the City of Lenoir City Council, proclaim that every fourth Saturday in July will be Jump Street Drive Band Day at the Martin Luther King Jr. Center in Lenoir, North Carolina.

The MLK Jr. Center is located at 313 Greenhaven Dr. NW.