COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KOAA) — Saturday, August 1, the Pikes Peak Diversity Council (PPDC) is hosting the 'Everybody Welcome Festival' at Colorado College, celebrating the wide array of groups and cultures that have helped to shape the region while also celebrating America's 250th, Colorado's 150th, and the legacy of Fannie Mae Duncan's Cotton Club.
According to the PPDC, the festival's name, 'Everybody Welcome,' comes from Duncan's Cotton Club, a popular jazz club that once operated in downtown Colorado Springs.
The space welcomed all races during the 1950s and 1960s, when integrated spaces were few and far between.
Fannie Mae's club brought residents together to hear legendary entertainers such as Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Lionel Hampton, Etta James, and local musicians like Fez Bryant.
The festival began in 2007 to celebrate community and inclusivity, and continues that legacy of community building through;
- local artists,
- musicians,
- performers,
- food vendors,
- craft booths,
- cultural villages,
- family-friendly entertainment,
- workshops
The festival will run from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Saturday, August 1, at Colorado College's Armstrong Hall (14 E Cache La Poudre Street) and the adjacent Tava quad.
The event, this year held in conjunction with Imagination Celebration's 'What If Festival,' is free and open to the public.
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