El Dorado Days is set for July 1 — 4, and this year, several auxiliary events have been planned to help inspire and empower not only El Dorado Days attendees, but also the entire community.
Mystiq Entertainment, a full-service event management company based in Atlanta, has partnered with El Dorado Days organizers and other groups and individuals to expand the activity roster for the biennial homecoming celebration.
Every two years, scores of native El Dorado-ans descend upon the city to become reacquainted with the place they call home.
Over the course of several days, they reunite with relatives, old friends and classmates against a festive backdrop of picnics, parties, class and family reunions, and a host of other activities.
Terry Davis, owner and operator of Mystique and an El Dorado native who will be returning home for El Dorado Days 2018, said the event affords him the rare opportunity to visit with family members and catch up with old friends.
Davis said he also views El Dorado Days as an opportunity to give back to the community.
“You ask anybody who knows me in Atlanta, and they will tell you that I’m always talking about coming home and being in El Dorado,” he said.
The 1987 El Dorado High School graduate said he wanted to get involved in some way with bringing more activities to El Dorado, and he began years ago by booking a comedy show at the El Dorado Municipal Auditorium that included comedians Damon Williams and Hope Flood.
The show did not resonate with area residents.
“Maybe 100 to 200 people came out for the show that I spent more than $10,000 on. It was a very humbling experience,” he recalled with a laugh.
Davis said he went back to the drawing board, and he had more success with a couple of blues and gospel shows in El Dorado.
More recently, he has met with several local groups — including El Dorado Days organizers, the Murphy Arts District and the Gusher Elk Lodge, No. 560 — to learn more about the types of entertainment that best fit the area.
Working with wife Kim, Davis later returned to the auditorium with a production that offered a message to children: “Don’t Be a Bully, Speak Up! Speak Out!”
“Area schools came out for the production, and it was great,” he said.
He and Kim, founder of The Don’t Be a Bully Foundation, are bringing the production back this year to be held in conjunction with El Dorado Days.
Noting that El Dorado Days events are mostly designed for adults, Davis said he wanted to make sure area youth and children and teens who will be visiting the city with their families also had activities in which to participate.
Events include:
• The Don’t Be a Bully Youth Empowerment Experience, which is scheduled from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. on June 30. The free event will include an Anti-Bullying Workshop in the old James Johnson Gym, which is adjacent to Mattocks Park; a Football Clinic; and Let’s Talk, a mentoring session for boys, ages 10 - 18.
Registration forms are available online at www.123formbuilder.com.
The deadline to register is June 27.
• Soul Food Sessions with Niya, a women’s empowerment brunch that will be held from noon until 3 p.m. on June 30 at Myrtelle’s House, 323 W. Oak. The intimate session will be led by Niya Brown Matthews, an Atlanta-based a life coach, author, motivational speaker, radio host, real estate professional who has been featured in Ebony, Black Enterprise and Mommy Noir magazines and on ESPN and the Wendy Williams show. Tickets for the brunch are $40 and may be purchased online, with a $2.99 fee, by visiting Eventbrite. Ticket sales end June 28.
• El Dorado Days All White Meet and Greet Party from 6 until 11 p.m., June 30 at Myrtelle’s House. The event is open to the public.
Guest speakers will include “legends” from the former Booker T. Washington (now Washington Middle School) and El Dorado high schools, and the event will include presentations and tributes about the histories of both high schools and El Dorado Days. There will also be food, a bar, music from the ’70s, ’80s, ’90s and more.
Tickets are $20 and may be purchased at Eventbrite, with a $2.49 fee. Ticket sales end on June 30.
For more information or to volunteer or sponsor any of the events, visit the Evenbrite or the Don’t Be a Bully websites or call 678-939-9527 or 404-542-1565.
Tia Lyons may be contacted at 870-862-6611 or by email at tlyons@ eldoradonews.com.