By Ford Mauldin

The Umoja Unity Festival will be held in downtown Johnson City, TN for the first time in its 15-year history.

Umoja is a Swahili word meaning “unity”; Umoja puts a special emphasis on the African American and Latino cultures, while striving to be the most diverse festival in the area. The festival will be held on the second weekend of August, approximately two months after the Blue Plum festival on the first weekend of June.

The Blue Plum Festival started approximately ten years ago, and has become one of the region’s prized summer events. Crowds now approaching 70,000 descend on downtown each summer to hear bluegrass and blues on the mainstage and many other genres of music on the two smaller stages.

Along with the music, there are over 70 arts and crafts vendors and 30-40 food vendors. This year, in association with Umoja, a third day was added to the Blue Plum Festival, which will feature gospel music. Performances begin at about 1 p.m. on Sunday, June 6 and continue until about 6 p.m. The lineup at the Blue Plum Gospel Stage in Johnson City, in front of Nelson’s Fine Arts Gallery, includes:

We 5 – traditional gospel quintet (from Jonesborough, TN)
Gina Salyer – contemporary gospel vocalist (Kingsport)
Rock Church Praise Team – contemporary praise group (Johnson City)
Bethel Christian Church Choir – a traditional/contemporary gospel choir (Jonesborough)
Amy Denton Trio – southern gospel women’s trio (southwest Virginia)
Joel Buckner – contemporary/traditional vocalist (Nashville)

Possible additional performers may include Greeneville, TN-based soloist Walter Hall, and Loretta Bowers of Elizabethton, TN.