It was a little warm, and the bugs WANTED to bite, but enthusiam beat back the elements as neighborhood residents joined with folks in Kingsport to "dance to the music" at Rhythm in Riverview.
Rhythm in Riverview is an annual concert event of Fun Fest in Kingsport, usually featuring a rockin' soul music theme, staged on the Douglass Ballfield at the V. O. Dobbins Sr. Complex. It is sponsored by Eastman Chemical Company, GKAD, South Central Kingsport Community Development, Inc., Nathan Vaughn, State Farm Insurance, WKPT-TV, Dean Guitars, and UnitedHealthCare Community Plan.
Making a return visit was Vic Danger and his Voo-Doo Band from Nashville, playing many soul favorites.
Click here to see a slideshow of Rhythm In Riverview 2011, from Vic Danger's arrival at the Douglass Ballfield, to the food tents, to spot checks of visitors, to Vic's concert.
The fantastic bass guitarist we all grew up with as Victor Simon, held the crowd estimated at around 1,500, captive with songs we all grew up with, even venturing into the crowd with the kids in tow. They followed him around, whooping and yelling and treating him as a rock star, and he even took time to teach them dance moves during a song, that even had their moms and dads rocking.
Click here to see video of Vic dancing and singing with the kids in the crowd!
Here's an extra! Click here to see a video of 3 of our New Vision Youth kids, who learned some dance moves at a workshop event recently. Here's a hint to the song.. "They will survive!"
Click here to see the World's Longest Soul Train Dance Line attempt during Rhythm in Riverview 2011.
Probably the most exciting segment of Danger's concert, was the formation of "The World's Longest Soul Train Dance Line." The popular musical show featuring African-American singers and musicians is celebrating its 40th year, and although no longer on the air, its popularity was proven when Rhythm in Riverview participants gathered to dance down the famous dance list. This was a Guinness Book of World Records-sanctioned event within Danger's concert, and of the 200 dancers required, 208 were counted. The verification process is now on, so that the first record will hopefully have been established at Kingsport, Tennessee on the evening of July 18, 2011.
The heat did keep many folks from trekking down to "Riv-view" early on, but it was the lure of good food that ultimately won over folks that braved the heat. Fish sandwiches were the early favorites, and as the evening got more festive, grilled beef, pork and chicken took over as the food of choice.
This year for your viewing pleasure, are many, many pictures of Rhythm in Riverview, and the little things that make it special. Also, several pictures were taken while flying over the crowds in a "bucket truck" provided by the city of Kingsport's Traffic Engineering Department.
