The Five 22 invites everyone to come out to its Something Awesome Block Party this Saturday in the Cotton District.
The block party will take place from 10 a.m. until 8 p.m. Saturday at 522 University Drive at the parking lot of Raintree Apartments. The Something Awesome Block Party will feature local bands and vendors from around Starkville and Mississippi.
Blair Edwards, branding manager for the Five 22, said the block party is not only a one-day completely free music festival, but also a one-year birthday celebration for the organization.
“This is kind of a birthday party and kind of a random party at the same time, but it is definitely another great option for Super Bulldog Weekend-goers,” he said.
He said the Five 22 is not trying to compete with the spring game and Sugarland concert but are simply giving everyone in Starkville another awesome choice for Saturday.
“This block party will be for the people who are interested in seeing local music and art on Saturday,” Edwards said.
He said the Five 22 really wants to do all it can to help out the Cotton District Arts Festival and make it bigger and better this year, as well as in the future.
“Our purpose is to make things better and keep Starkville growing,” Edwards said. “Starkville has such a potential to be an even bigger jewel in North Mississippi.”
Music is set to kick off at 11 a.m. with the Mouring Line. He said all the bands performing are either local or from Mississippi. DJ GLOtron, Late Night Project and Ming Donkey are just a few of the acts performing for free on Saturday. The Mississippi Music Foundation is also filling in the gaps and contributing bands for the festival. He said the foundation got in touch with the Five 22 last semester and has been a huge help ever since.
Miles Byrd, director of the Five 22, and Edwards especially want to encourage local artists of all types to come out and show off their talent. Edwards said if things go right with the weather, there will be a singer/songwriter section set up on Byrd’s front porch and a band toward the back of Raintree Apartments.
Local vendors are encouraged to bring their arts and merchandise to sell during the day. Wristbands and headbands similar to the ones sold at other music festivals are being specially designed and will be for sale the day of the Something Awesome Block Party.
There will also be CDs and band merchandise for sale, including those of popular band Space Capone, which has recently made a name in Starkville and performed last Friday at Dave’s Dark Horse Tavern. 
After the block party is over, the Five 22 encourages everyone to make their way over to Rick’s Cafe to listen to The Weeks, a band out of Jackson. Starkville band Parallax will open for The Weeks and doors are set to open at 9 p.m.
Tickets for The Weeks are $5 until 11 p.m., and $8 until close. Edwards said there might be a reduced cover for those who attended the Something Awesome Block Party earlier in the day.
For everyone who has not yet decided what their Super Bulldog Weekend plans are, the Something Awesome block party will be something awesome to do this weekend. Come listen to local talent and purchase something from a local vendor, then head over to Rick’s Cafe afterwards to see more homegrown Mississippi talent.
The Five 22 can be reached via their Facebook, Twitter, or their website whatshappen.in.