The second annual AllRoads Music Festival will be held at Heritage Park in Rome on April 20. This is an event put on by the Rome Area Council for the Arts (RACA), a non-profit organization serving the Rome and Floyd County area for 36 years.

Erica Simpson, assistant professor of communication at GHC, got involved with RACA as a volunteer and was later asked to join the RACA Board of Directors.

After serving on the board for three months, she was hired as the RACA program director and immediately began creating what eventually became the AllRoads Music Festival.

Simpson also works full time at GHC. She said, “When it comes to the arts, I appreciate all forms and styles, but music is my passion. I like to say that I have no musical talent, so I use my event-planning expertise to help local musicians as much as I can.”

This year’s festival will feature 26 bands from all over northwest Georgia, Atlanta, Chattanooga and Nashville. The bands perform music from different genres like rock, country, punk, Christian rock, hip-hop, world and classical.

The event is family-friendly, and the ticket prices reflect that. Tickets are $10 in advance, $15 on the day of the event, $5 for children ages six through 12 and children five and under are admitted for free.

All attendees will receive a wristband that will allow them to come and go as they please throughout the day. While at the festival, students should stop by the GHC intercultural booth to learn how music plays an important role in different cultures.