Music highlights Elgin's black history festival

If you're looking for quiet time at Elgin's Gail Borden Public Library on Saturday afternoon, your only refuge might be the fireplace room.

That's because melody is the mantra for the fifth annual Black History Family Festival: A Musical Tale of African American History, from 2 to 5 p.m.

The free event will kick off with a West African welcome song, "Funga Alafia," which means "welcomes and blessings" and songs from the men's chorus from the Second Baptist Church of Elgin.

"It's been extremely popular for all these years because we have exciting guests, but we've outdone ourselves this year," said Denise Raleigh, the library's marketing director. "It is going to be like no other Black History Family Festival before it."

Organizers have booked "The Moods," a four-man Temptations cover band to complement soul food prepared by Elgin Community College culinary students.

For younger visitors, a children's theater group will perform, and people can partake in workshops that teach the basics of hip hop and rap.

African drumming rounds out the musical lineup.

"The place is just going to be vibrating in many ways for all ages," said Miriam Lytle, director of community services. "It's going to be an experience of African-American music and culture."

Previous years have featured roundtable discussions by local African American leaders along with art from African countries, such as Kenya.

More than 4,000 people attended the festival last year, leading to a shortage of parking spaces.

New this year is a free, continual shuttle service from 1:30 to 5:30 p.m. that will transport people to and from the city hall parking lot at 150 Dexter Court to the library, 270 N. Grove Ave.

The parking lot between the library and the Hemmens Cultural Center also is available.

For details, call (847) 742-2411 or visit gailborden.info.