Cherry Blossom Festival

Katie Hoyle, facing, and Carley Norris, both 8, take a spin on a ride at the Cherry Blossom Festival in downtown Cherryville on Saturday April 28, 2012. 

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.