Harambee!

Freddy "Street Genie" Greene performs on the soprano saxophone Friday evening at the Harambee Festival at Harambee Square in Rocky Mount. Greene is known for his virtuosic performances that frequently involve wandering through the crowd while playing. Below: Sauuda Eshe, left, dances with others in attendance as Greene and his band perform.

Ernest Barnes, 89, above, enjoys a hot dog and a little solitude before the concert. A World War II veteran, Barnes states he doesn't care for jazz--prefering gospel music--but he lives nearby and came to the jazz festival anyway. Downtown Rocky Mount, below, provided a quaint backdrop for performances, complemented by unseasonably cool temperatures.

Happy Fourth!

A gospel singer performs Saturday at the Fourth of July celebration at Englewood Baptist Church in Rocky Mount.

I photographed three separate Independance Day celebrations around town this year, but I didn't get to stick around long enough for fireworks at any of them. How lame! But, hey, we do have deadlines to meet, and I got some good pictures just the same.

Union Man

Portrait of Peter Tapia, former President of the Rocky Mount chapter of The National Association of Letter Carriers.

Sparks

Calvin Staton is surrounded by a spray of sparks as he grinds down new welds on a car in for repair Thursday at Medlin Brothers Body Shop on Hunter Hill Road.