TIFTON — Local nonprofit Jake’s Hands remains dedicated to supporting their community–through acts of service, donations, and recently, an exploration into festival fun.

The organization hosted the premiere of their music festival Essence on Main Oct. 21, inviting residents of Tifton to enjoy an evening of performances, food, and community spirit.

Local musicians took to the stage set up in Cato Knight Parking Lot, starting in the early afternoon and partying well into the night, to put on a show and play their heart out for the gathered crowd, including performers like Groove Therapy, Flawless Divas, and JK Music.

And while they listened, attendees of the festival could enjoy food and fun from vendors in their community like Don Julio’s, Dairy Kings, and boutique Martae’s.

“We wanted to do something more cultural, bring awareness, and just kind of bring people out for some fun,” said Latasha Howard, representative of Jake’s Hands. “We decided to do the music festival, have food trucks, a little kids area, and overall, we had a great success.”

Jake’s Hands primarily works to serve the community through supplying food and supplies to community during major events of the year, such as providing meals to families on Thanksgiving or helping kids get supplies in the weeks leading up to the start of the school year.

The nonprofit also recently partnered with former NFL player and Tift County Blue Devil Roy Hart, Jr. for an event at the Tift Theatre, working with Hart to collect toys and donations for the upcoming Christmas season.

Attendees of the festival had the chance to support their Thanksgiving food drive by donating foodstuffs through the Big Jake’s Que food truck, operated by Howard and her husband during the event. Howard reported that they had received several donations prior to the festival as well.

Once the festival had come to a close, Howard expressed satisfaction with the turnout and reception, as well as excitement in beginning development on next year’s run.

“This is our first year, and we received lots of feedback and participation,” Howard said. “Everyone is already asking about next year!”

The nonprofit indeed aims on bringing Essence on Main back for another year, but will hold off on any concrete plans until the 2024 schedule for Tift County football is released, with the intent of placing the festival around a home game for a larger weekend of events.

Howard also reported that next year’s festival will include a toy drive rather than a food drive, and that Hart hopes to connect with more NFL players for future events.

For more information about Jake’s Hands or their future plans, visit their website at https://jakeshands.org.