The 2014 Umoja Festival: The Young Adult Stage Events

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The Young Adult stage is a relative newcomer to the Umoja festival scene in Johnson City.

It's only been around just 4 short years, but it has already established itself as a "happening" place, where young people can hang out, be themselves, and be one with their types of music.

For the younger crowd, a full musical stage was set up on Market Street right beside the Munsey Memorial United Methodist Church, near the intersection with North Roan Street.

"After the Umoja Festival moved downtown from Carver Rec and Freedom Hall, we were talking about how good it was to get people together," says Young Adult stage coordinator Vicki Briscoe, "but then we thought 'what about the youth? We need something for the youth. They need their space, their area.. something that interests them. So then, we got to thinking 'well, what do the youth like?"

"We came up with this stage," she says, "that was set aside for the youth to come and express themselves, and have clean, wholesome activities just for them. Umoja has areas for people of all ages really, but this area is for the young people to come and sing and perform if they want to. We've had poetry there, we had the dance things, we had DJ Sterl the Pearl there, so the young people could have something they could call their very own."

Briscoe says she remembers well, the first year of the Young Adult stage.

"We were standing there, myself and one of the other workers," she says. "One of the young adult teenagers came up to me and hugged me, I didn't know him. He came up to me and hugged me and he's like 'thank you for this. Really, it touched me.. it really did. I made me feel like I, as well as my co-workers were making a difference, that we're touching someone's life."

2014 RAP BATTLE AT UMOJA

She also remembers a touching moment in this year's Rap Battle held on the stage.

"The Rap Battle is the contest where anybody from the audience can get on stage and just rap to the crowd," Briscoe says. "They don't get to practice it, it's live, spontaneous, right off the top of their heads. I was listening to one particular child and what he was saying. I could immediately tell from what he was rapping about, that he was coping with something.. something in his heart, and it wasn't good. I could tell from what he was saying that there's a problem in his life.. there's a situation that's painful. It shocked me because from what he was rapping about, I could just tell that he was hurting inside from something at home and he was putting it out, you know. He was talking about something wrong at home and this was his way of coping with it, putting it in a poetic way. It touched me deeply. What I heard him rapping about, was really sad. I'm like, 'this child is hurting, and in his own way, he's dealing with it through rapping."

"By voicing it, that may have saved him from doing something about it that is bad. Maybe somebody out there heard it and could help him with it."

"It brought tears to my eyes."

By far, the one surprise every year is the Gospel Fest, held on the Young Adult stage every year. Surprising, because it's growing rapidly every year.  This is also the 4th year for the collection of inspirational singing individuals and groups.

"Kelly Coley managed the Gospel Fest this year," says Brisco. "He brought in people and groups from all over the area. We did advertise it a lot more this year and it paid off. We've had Gospel Fest as long as we've had the Young Adult stage, and it is something that I insist upon. As long as I have anything to do with the Young Adult stage, we will have gospel. We scheduled it early, starting it around 1 o'clock on Saturday, because not a lot of kids are out then. That's just me though.. I know we're catering to the younger people, but I feel like God needs to be in this, you know.. we have to bring Him in. There are kids who participate in that."

"As long as I have something to do with that Young Adult stage, there will be a Gospel Fest."

MISSIONARY KIMBERLY PETE, WORD OF GOD MISSION, BRISTOL, TN, PERFORMING AT 2014 UMOJA FESTIVAL

WITNESS GOSPEL GROUP FROM KINGSPORT, PERFORMING AT 2014 UMOJOA FESTIVAL

One of the Gospel performers this year was D-Higgz from Knoxville, a third-year veteran of Umoja's Gospel Fest. He's a Christian rap artist, and his real name is Darren Higgins.

"I love this kind of festival," he says. "This kind of environment is great, because it is out in the open. Everybody can hear it, the focus is right up front. People bring different elements to an outdoor gospel rap concert. A lot of my venues are Christian audiences, and if I can get out there and bring their attention in, this is where the real ministry happens. It's where the people are. That's important in getting the message of Christ out there."

D-Higgz says, he can tell if that message is reaching a receptive audience when he performs.

D-HIGGZ OF KNOXVILLE, PERFORMING AT 2014 UMOJA FESTIVAL

"Sometimes, it's a hit-and-miss," he says. "You can see some people getting the Word in the back and then on up towards the front. I try not to focus too much on the crowd. Once I get started, I'm into the music and the message. That's what I'm all about. The message could be moving through the crowd and I not even know it."

"My prayer is that there is just liberation in the Spirit of God. It doesn't matter what I rap or what I sing, as long as the Spirit comes through. It's just that freedom. That's really my goal."

Later, the young adult crowd was dazzled by dances from the African Dolls. They're a group of young ladies based in Johnson City, from several different area churches.

"What they brought to the table," says Vicki Briscoe, "was a little R-and-B and some Liberian African dances. That's the first time we have had that type of dance, and this was their first performance ever."

"They're a new, up-and-coming dance group, and we were glad to have them. The crowd loved them."

AFRICAN DOLLS, PERFORMING AT 2014 UMOJA FESTIVAL

The Shaka Zulu Stilt Walkers paid a visit, and once again the crowd, especially the young people were mesmerized by the delicate balancing act of the dancers. Hovering several feet above the ground, many folks marveled at the way the dancers maintained their balance, including when the walkers incorporated dance steps in their stilt routines.

SHAKA ZULU STILT WALKERS AT THE YOUNG ADULT STAGE, 2014 UMOJA FESTIVAL

On both Friday and Saturday nights' DJ "Sterl the Pearl" entertained the crowd with a great selection of music. He is based in Knoxville, and has spent many years in radio, television and the world of entertainment.

"Sterl the Pearl is a great asset to the Umoja Festival," Brisco says. "He's been with us since Day One of the Young Adult stage. He relates to the young people and he really looks out for them. One of our requirements is that we only play 'clean' rap songs.. you're not going to hear the dirty versions. We are a family festival, family-oriented. Sterl has held true to that.. keeping it clean. Some kids have come up and requested the dirty versions of a rap song, and he's like 'I can't do that, you know.. I can't do that, this is a family vestival. No matter -- the kids that asked for the dirty stuff stay anyway and danced and had a good time.

"Sterl the Pearl's" real name should ring a bell for UT football fans.

Sterling Henton is a former UT quarterback, playing in four bowl games and winning back-to-back SEC football championships. He continued his sports career in professional football for four seasons. Henton, a.k.a. "Sterl the Pearl" has an MBA from the University of Tennessee, was once the Vice President of Marketing for Warner Brothers in the Southeast Region, and, in addition to DJ'ing on the side, is a local senior business analyst in Knoxville.

The future of the Young Adult stage is as bright as the smiles on the faces of the young people who claim it as their own.

"I would really like for more young people to be on the Young Adult committee," says Brisco. "We need their input on who to invite and who to consider. The first two years, we had bands from Nashville, Knoxville, a reggae band from North Carolina. We're a non-profit organization, and we would also like to get more sponsors so we can bring in bigger names, bigger acts, bigger name bands that you hear on the radio and the TV."

WITNESS GOSPEL GROUP FROM KINGSPORT, PERFORMING AT 2014 UMOJA FESTIVAL

"Support from the community is important, and we always value new input."

SLIDE SHOW OF THE YOUNG ADULT STAGE -- IF SLIDESHOW DOESN'T START AUTOMATICALLY, CLICK ON ALBUM NAME BELOW

2014 Umoja Festival Young Adult Stage - Video Maker