Annual festival seeks to unite community
Byron Stricklin of The Mind Group is one of the organizers of the Unity Festival.
On Sept. 28, from 12-6 p.m., the 10th annual Unity Festival will take place at 619 E. Washington Drive in High Point. The festival is brought to you by the Washington Street Business Association and the TMG (The Mind Group) Network.
The Unity Festival strives to bring the local community together, organizers say.
“The Unity Festival is basically a celebration of unity and synergy amongst the residents of the community,” said Byron Stricklin of TMG. “We are talking about synergy among our business leaders, among our church leaders, among our social activists, our directors and civic leaders. Everyone that is doing something positive needs to be a part of the Unity Festival, because you can’t have unity without having God. You have to have God in the mix, because He is the ultimate promoter of unity; that other guy is the ultimate promoter of division.
“What you can expect at the Unity Festival is a bunch of smiles, a bunch of networking, music, food and entertainment.
Stricklin feels this event is necessary to bring together not only the people of High Point, but also the rest of the Triad area as well. He said the more people that can come together for a positive cause, the better off the community will be.
“We are trying to bring all of our resources together, so we can create the right synergy,” he continued.
TMG is a nonprofit that specializes in all things related to community outreach and youth development programs, said Stricklin. He says they are a “one-stop shop” for nonprofits.
“What we do is we connect for-profit entities, social activist groups and civic leaders and work with them as outreach consultants,” Stricklin said. “We work with groups like the Washington Street Association, because we want the business association to be more connected with the people of the community.”
Stricklin said he chose to do this work because “it was what God called him to do,” he said. He said there is a certain reward and blessing that comes along with acknowledging God in everything he does.
According to Stricklin, people should come out to the Unity Festival because the Washington Street Business Association has put together a “family-friendly event” that will cater to all ages and demographics.
One of the biggest highlights of the festival will be the Home-Grown Music Series. It will feature local talent from all over the area, featuring High Point’s very own DJ MC.
Everyone is invited to come out and fellowship at the Unity Festval.
