A few years ago, Jay Brown, owner of the award-winning Granny’s Southern Smokehouse in St. Cloud, looked around and realized something was missing in his community. It’s a celebration of Black History Month.
So in 2024, he launched it himself and Roots & Rhythm Festival was born.
It wasn’t popular with anyone. In fact, Brown said he’s lost several customers because of it.
“They believed it wasn’t something we should be celebrating,” he says. “But I gained more customers than I lost.”
Plus, it helps keep the party together.
This year, St. Cloud Main Street has also stepped up with presenters, with record numbers expected.
“The first year we had about 300 to 400 people and last year we had 600 people,” he said, noting that some scheduling issues, including two other nearby Black History Month festivals scheduled for the same day, may have reduced attendance.
Lizzie Heinz/Orlando Sentinel
Chef, owner and pitmaster Jay Brown cooks the first rib of the day at Granny’s Southern Smoke House in St. Cloud. The Roots & Rhythms Festival is one of the busiest days of the year for restaurants. (Orlando Sentinel File)
But this year everything was resolved.
“We’re expecting anywhere from 700 to 1,000 people to attend,” Brown said, but the return of veteran music artists The Velvet Groove Collective will be a big draw for the event.
“They do funk, soul, R&B… Kool & the Gang, Earth, Wind & Fire, Mary J. Blige, etc.,” Brown says. “And I’ll tell you, both years they completely destroyed the house. People don’t dance as much at events like this these days, but people were dancing in the streets.”
Vendors, a car show, and plenty of food trucks will round out the event. The restaurant serves Granny’s Southern Smokehouse BBQ (get there early, as there’s often a line outside during peak hours). There will also be pop-ups and mobile vendors featuring cakes, pastries, tacos, burgers, fries, street food, candy apples, snowballs and sorbets (options with additional adult beverages available).
“People sometimes forget the Black history we have here,” he said, noting how St. Cloud resident Jennifer Paul broke through that barrier in 2024 when she became the first Black person elected to the City Council.
“Last year, she sponsored a manifesto denouncing St. Cloud’s ‘Sundown Town’ reputation,” he explains. The term refers to cities that once enforced rules requiring people of color to leave before nightfall.
It was approved unanimously by her fellow senators.
Brown, a Kissimmee native, moved here with her family in 2017 and opened Granny’s Southern Smokehouse the following year.
“There was a time when we couldn’t hold a festival like this,” he says, noting the diversity of participants. “Everybody comes! Anything that’s fun, anything that gets them out of the house brings people together, so you see all kinds of faces here.
“I think there’s a lot we can celebrate.”
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If you go
The Roots & Rhythms Festival, celebrating Black History Month, will be held in downtown St. Cloud on February 28th from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and admission is free. Food and drinks are available a la carte. positiveosceola.com/event/roots-rhythm-festival
