The Dan Emmett Music & Arts Festival is this week in downtown Mount Vernon.
2016 marks the 29th year for the event. The Festival’s mission is to “Celebrate the Legacy” of Dan Emmett. This homegrown musician, composer, and founder of minstrelsy tradition is known world-wide as the author of “Dixie.” Dan Emmett’s life and career is honored through a varied format of performing and creative artists on three stages and all along South Main Street for the enjoyment of Festival goers of all ages.

WNZR is honored to be a media partner for the Dan Emmett Music & Arts Festival.
Click HERE to find out more about what the Big Blue Crew will be doing this week!
Click HERE to see a complete schedule of the festival.

For our Morning Thing Fave 5 this week, we shared 5 interesting facts about Dan Emmett and how he made history

1. Dan Emmett was born and died in Mount Vernon. He was born on 10/29/1815. He died on 6/28/1904.
2. At age 13, Dan Emmett became an apprentice printer and enlisted in the United States Army. He became an expert fifer and drummer at Jefferson Barracks, Missouri, and published his own Fifer’s and Drummer’s Guide in 1862 in cooperation with George G. Bruce. After receiving his discharge from the army on July 8, 1835, Dan Emmett joined a Cincinnati circus. In 1840–1842 he toured with Angevine and other circuses as a blackface banjoist and singer.
3. Between 1859 and 1869, Dan Emmett composed another 25 tunes that are in manuscript at the Ohio Historical Society in Columbus, Ohio.
4. Dan Emmett was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1970.
5. A biographical film of Dan Emmett’s life was produced in 1943, titled Dixie. The film starred Bing Crosby and Dorothy Lamour. It is a musical directed by A. Edward Sutherland.