Gary Mayor Eddie Melton remembers the city hosting music festivals when he was younger.
Now, this weekend, he’s bringing that back.
“It was something that I looked forward to returning home from college, and it was just an opportunity for the community to come together,” Melton said. “It’s an effort to host multiple events and activities throughout the summer to increase community engagement and placemaking opportunities.”
The city, on Saturday, is hosting the Greater Gary Music Fest from noon to 8 p.m. at the RailCats’ stadium, the U.S. Steel Yard. Tickets are free, but Gary charges $20 for parking.
Melton said the festival is free because of corporate sponsors, including Hard Rock Casino Northern Indiana, Centier Bank and Northern Indiana Public Service Company. No tax dollars went towards the event, Melton added.
Access to suites was sold, Melton said, and food and drinks are also charged.
The music festival features local artists, including DJs, and several nationally famous artists, including Deniece Williams, Raheem Devaughn and Eric Roberson. Indiana native and comedian Mike Epps is hosting the event.
Roberson is a Grammy-nominated singer, songwriter and producer, and he performs R&B and soul music. He told the Post-Tribune that someone from the city called his agent, and it worked out because he’s on tour now.
“Gary, Indiana, has such a rich history of music,” Roberson said. “And it’s so close to Chicago, where I play frequently, so I thought I definitely should do it.”
Roberson has performed at the Hard Rock casino multiple times, he said, so this isn’t his first time in Gary. For the music festival, he’s looking forward to seeing the crowd’s reaction, and he shapes his performances based on how they act.
His set should be about an hour, Roberson said, and he’ll be in Gary for the day before he travels for tour again.
Roberson said he’s grateful to play a small part in the city’s revitalization work.
“I think it’s always important that we can add to the betterment of the community,” Roberson said. “We’re here to serve and really give back to Gary in the best way we can.”
Melton has big hopes for future festivals.
“This is just the beginning,” Melton said. “My idea is that for this year, let’s work out the kinks, and let’s figure it out.”
As the city revitalizes, Melton wants to focus on cultural events, like the festival or Jackson Block Party, that can bring more visitors to Gary. For the festival, he said the response has been “extremely positive.”
“I think people see and feel the momentum that we’ve been building,” Melton said. “Every year, we’re getting better in terms of providing better services. Every year, we’re providing more community engagement opportunities.”
KC Thompson, a Gary resident, is participating in Saturday’s music festival. Thompson goes by DJ K Ceaser, and he’s been performing for about 15 years after first starting out as a rapper.
Thompson has multiple jobs, including as an electrical union worker and real estate agent, but for the past year, he’s focused “strictly on DJing.”
“I’ve been 100% on it,” Thompson said.
The city reached out to some of the local DJs to perform, Thompson said, and that’s how he got involved with the Greater Gary Music Fest. He said he’s excited to perform.
“I look at every event the same and approach it with the same kind of energy,” Thompson said. “But to perform for about 10,000 people, that’s really awesome.”
mwilkins@chicagotribune.com
