Written by Keith Tonkel, pastor of Wells United Methodist Church and founder of WellsFest.
WellsFest began with a wedding. When the pastor to refused an honorarium, the Malcolm White family said, “Let’s do something that would express our thanks, and mean something to Wells Church and our city.”
Some folks from Wells were contacted, and WellsFest was born. The festival, first of its kind in the city thirty-one years ago, retains a “first” in its intent of offering an “alcohol and drug free” day of great music, food, fellowship, and creating a sense of community that includes many different folks from different places.
WellsFest has no admission fee, begins with a 5K race/walk/fun run, and ends with a “circle of service” made up of those who gave time and energy to put it together, run the festival, and then take it down at the close of the day. Across the years at each circle, kids from Jackson Prep held hands with people from the Rankin County prison—all kinds all colors and people holding on to say, “Hey, we had a day of fun and service that will help a deserving group.” This year’s donation recipients are Partners To End Homelessness and they have hopes for a new van to try to get the people they serve rides to work. We hope they’ll get it.
We had a selfish beginning in the early 80’s. One half of the first proceeds went to help renovate our inner city church building. Since then, every penny of the proceeds after expenses goes to the group chosen as the year’s recipient. The little church in the inner city has raised just at a million dollars and has had the joy of extending measurable help to several worthy groups.
The WellsFest intent is to offer an affordable day of celebration with top notch music, food, and everything else; and help those who help others. WellsFest is all this and more. The “more” is hard to understand and describe, but it exists. Come and see…
WellsFest is this Saturday, September 27. Don’t miss it!
Jackson: photographs by Ken Murphy is available now for purchase. To order a copy, call Lemuria Books at 601.366.7619 or visit us online at lemuriabooks.com.
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