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The Soul of Second Street Festival, hosted by the Danville-Boyle County African American Historical Society, will be held on August 9 and 10.

The first day will be held at The Showroom in Danville from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., with food, live music, a photo booth, displays, and an awards ceremony.

The second day will feature a parade at 3:30 p.m. on Main Street in Danville, and the festival at Constitution Square on Second Street will begin at 4 p.m. and go until 10 p.m. with live music, children’s activities, and a variety of food and vendors.

The annual Soul of Second Street is in remembrance of the Black-owned businesses on Second Street which were torn down during urban renewal in the 1970s.

This year’s festival has the theme of “Remember the Time.”

“We are going back and doing the things and hearing music from when we were in high school,” said DBCAAHS President Michael Hughes. “We never want to forget how people used to come to Second Street for their livelihood or shopping. It was taken away in a flash and it has never recovered. We want to recognize the Black businesses in Danville.”

Hughes hopes that the festival can attract 4,000 visitors over the two days.

“We want people to recognize how important the festival is to the community so it will keep growing.”

In addition, Hughes hopes that a smaller version of the “We Were Here” exhibit, which was on display from 2022-2023 at Centre College’s Norton Center, can be permanently displayed at the Jennie Rogers Community Center. He also hopes that the DBCAAHS museum will be open to the public for the festival.

The History Center, located at 108 N. Second Street, has other items on display, but they would like more space due to the large amount of items.

“We are still working to expand,” Hughes said. “We have a goal to obtain a larger permanent home to accommodate all of the things we are trying to do.”