Iowa Soul Festival returns to Iowa City this weekend

IOWA CITY - Fashion, food, music and educational programs are on tap as Iowa City plays host to this year's Iowa Soul Festival Friday and Saturday.

Presented by MidWestOne Bank, the festival kicks off Friday night with the return of the All Black Er'Thing 2 Fashion Show, produced by Born Leaders United. Models featuring a wide variety of current styles will strut the Ped Mall starting at 6 p.m. At 8 p.m., following the fashion show, local favorites Shade of Blue bring their soul, funk and R&B sound to the main stage.

Saturday features a wide variety of entertainment and activities starting with the Black Entrepreneurs Panel: Bridge Building to Black Wealth at 10 a.m. at MERGE Innovation Space, 136 S. Dubuque St. Local business owners and investors will share their success stories and answer questions from the audience. The panel will be moderated by Ed Benjamin, vice president of credit administration with MidWestOne Bank and includes Acie Earl, real estate investor; Anthony Gair, Puzzle Greetings; Cheryl McMillan, Textures Salon; and Akwi Nji, performance poet and storyteller.

At 11 a.m., the Black Authors Panel takes place at Prairie Lights Books & Cafe, 15 S. Dubuque St. It features local authors Glenance Green, Lena Hill and Deborah Whaley. The panel will be moderated by Michael Hill, associate professor of English at the University of Iowa.

Culinary Corner, featuring soul food and the Artist MarketPlace both open on the Ped Mall at 11 a.m. Saturday.

The Main Stage entertainment begins at 12:30 p.m. with the SD Band, made up of local Sudanese musicians. At 2:30 p.m., local youth take over the Main Stage including the Dream Divas, Set the Atmosphere, Ordained 2Praise and the Dream Center Tumblers.

Des Moines rapper MarKaus and the Negative Space hit the stage at 4 p.m.

At 6 p.m., TL Williams and the Storm Chasers combine funk, hip-hop and jazz at their show. Williams is a Chicago native and a singer, songwriter, actor and producer.

The headliner, Sidewalk Chalk, hits the stage at 8 p.m. with a performance of hip-hop, soul and jazz.

New this year on Saturday, a Youth Pop-up Stage outside of Yotopia Frozen Yogurt, 132 S. Clinton St., will feature entertainment in between Main Stage performances. At 2 p.m., enjoy a Back to School Fashion Show. At 3:30 p.m., Jasper Washington's Spoken Word and the Dream Center Drum Group will entertain. At 5:30 p.m., youth rappers with Hard Time Entertainment share their stories and at 7:30 p.m. Jordan Burgett offers his own take on music and rapping.

Several affiliated events will also take place in conjunction with this year's Soul Fest. Friday night features an after party at Gabe's, 330 E. Washington St., with a performance by SoulShake.

Saturday features special performances at The Mill Restaurant, 120 E. Burlington St., titled 'Women in Blues: A Tribute to Koko Taylor, Etta James and Big Time Sarah.” Shows are at 9:30 p.m. and 11 p.m. and tickets are $20 per person.

The Iowa Soul Festival started in 2013 and celebrates the positive influence of the African and African American community through music, fashion, art, soul food, dance, literature and business networking.