Alfonso Gray says the turnout for the “I’m So Greenwood” event for the past two years has exceeded all his expectations.
Only a couple hundred people were expected the first year, but about 1,200 filled Whittington Park, which is where the event is held annually. In 2016, more than 3,000 people flooded the park. Gray said this year more than 4,000 are expected to attend.
“It’s surreal,” said Gray, a Greenwood native who resides in Chicago and is the visionary behind “I’m So Greenwood.” “To me, it was overwhelming. You couldn’t take it all in until after it was all over. It was like, ‘Did that just happen?’ I’m very humbled about it, but I didn’t expect this at all.”
This year’s event will be held from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday. It’s free and open to the public.
“I’m So Greenwood” will feature a tailgate-style picnic in the park with a variety of DJs, face painting and costumed cartoon characters. The DJs will play gospel, blues and music for every generation attending.
“It’s more like a homecoming celebration,” said Gray. “Everybody brings their own grills, food and tents. Everyone is hanging out in the park and mingling.”
Gray said that on the day before the inaugural event was held, he went to the park to direct the setup.
“I see this guy pull up in a camper in the park,” said Gray, who thought 200 or at most 300 people would be attending.
When Gray said to the man with the camper that he was a little early, “He said, ‘I don’t think you know how big this is going to be. It’s the talk of the town,’” said Gray.
Gray admitted he wasn’t aware that his hometown was abuzz with excitement for the event.
“All I had to gauge off of was Facebook,” he said. “That’s where we put it out. It was just word of mouth.”
That year, Gray had purchased only three bounce houses for the children and eventually had to deflate them because each was at full capacity, with more kids coming in to jump.
“It was crazy,” said Gray. “I went up to six bounce houses last year, and I ended up having to deflate them.”
This year, “I’m So Greenwood” is sans inflatables but will have other activities children will enjoy.
Gray, a 1989 graduate of Greenwood High School, said he thought up the event after a visit to his hometown.
“Every time I came home to visit my mom and the rest of my family, I would miss seeing a childhood friend or someone I grew up with while they were in town also,” he said. “I just got tired of missing someone, and I said, ‘I am going to fix that.’”
Gray wanted an event where all his childhood friends and classmates could come together in the same place at the same time. He styled “I’m So Greenwood” after Chicago’s annual house party picnic, which features a lineup of DJs throughout.
“I took that concept and said, ‘That’s what we’re going to do,’” said Gray. “I’m hoping it replicates that. It started over 20 years ago with 800 people attending, and it’s getting 35,000 in the park now.”
Gray turned to social media to get the word out about the Greenwood gathering. A committee was also formed, and the group communicated via emails and Facebook posts. Gray footed the bill for the first event. Now, the committee sells “I’m So Greenwood” T-shirts to raise funds, which means the event can be held free of charge to the participants. More than 1,000 T-shirts were sold this year.
Gray said about half of those attending the event are Greenwood-area residents. The other half are out-of-towners returning to their native city.
“All of the hotels in Greenwood are sold out, and they are seeing some of that traffic as far as Grenada and Winona,” he said. “It’s a huge economic boost for the city of Greenwood.”
Not only does the GHS Class of 1989 — Gray’s graduating class — use this time as a reunion, but several other classes, sororities and families come together at the event. The ages of those attending have ranged from just a few months old to 97 years old. Class members have traveled from as far away as California, and one attendee in the military stationed in Afghanistan took a leave of absence to visit.
“I saw Elzy Class of ’88 out there, and other classes. There were too many to name,” said Gray. “There were all kinds of fraternities and sororities. Some people just pulled together and said, ‘Let’s put up a tent.’ There probably won’t be a tent left on Walmart’s shelves.”
Gray said the family-oriented atmosphere at “I’m So Greenwood” reminds him of his childhood and growing up in the area.
“People were playing spades and dominoes like at a big family reunion, and that’s how I remember home being. That’s how we grew up,” he said. “On that day, it’s just love.”
• Contact Ruthie Robison at 581-7233 or rrobison@gwcommonwealth.com.
