Members of the Athens High School band rehearse for their performance with Nashville-based Skyway Man. The performance is set for 6 p.m. Saturday on the north side of the Limestone County Courthouse Square.

Nashville-based Skyway Man will perform with members of the Athens High School band and choir at Saturday’s Athens Grease Festival.

“We are performing the band’s original music, which is a folk-rock ‘n’ roll style,” said Athens High band director Ryan Nix. “It has been an interesting collaboration for the students because they are experiencing a different perspective. Skyway Man is more artistic and not so technical, and the band is encouraging them to feel the music.”

Skyway Man describes itself as, “The music you want playing on the radio, when you kiss someone for the first or last time, and then lightning strikes and the radio explodes.”

The band has upcoming concerts in Portland, San Diego and Chicago.

Nix said Patrick Chesnut of Athens knows the band and worked to bring the groups together to perform at the annual Athens Grease Festival. The festival is Saturday, Sept. 30, on The Square from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., with Skyway Man and the Athens High students performing on the north side of the courthouse at 6 p.m. A videographer will film the performance.

“The students are having fun, because it is so different from anything they have done,” Nix said.

The student performers will be the wind section of the band and four choir members.

“This collaboration will be a musical treat to close out our festival,” said Athens Grease Festival Promotions Chair Holly Hollman. “Although we are mainly a food festival, we try to include activities that tempt event goers to enjoy an entire day in our historic and beautiful downtown, so I encourage attendees to come out and enjoy this performance.”

About the festival

Athens Main Street hosts the Athens Grease Festival as a celebration of all things fried and a tribute to the Greek origin of the city’s name. The Southeast Tourism Society named it a Top 20 event for September. Funds raised support downtown revitalization efforts.

“Our Athens Main Street Board chooses a need that benefits downtown and the community,” Hollman said.

Most recently, the board allocated funds to support the improvement of the downtown electrical system to enhance events on The Square, many of which are music-related. The festival includes performances by other musical groups including the East Limestone Marching Band, Steel City Jug Slammers, Matt Prater and others.

Foods vendors are planning to prepare dishes like fried It’s Greek to MEatballs with ARThena sauce by Athens Arts League, fried zucchini fritters by The Red Caboose Café in Elkmont and fried Oreos, Nutter Butters and Snickers from a West Limestone High School group.

Some locals are offering their cast iron stomachs to be food judges and sample various fried foods for a contest to determine Best Fried Vegetable, Best Fried Dessert, Best Fried Meat and Most Outrageous Fried Food.

These judges are:

• Fletcher Sellers, Athens Middle School football team;

• Mitzi Dennis, Athens Intermediate School principal;

• Suzanne Paysinger, director of Hospice of Limestone County; and

• Tom Sisk, superintendent of Limestone County Schools.

Event goers are encouraged to wear togas. By wearing a toga, attendees get the following benefits:

• $1 off admission;

• A cool outfit;

• A way to express creativity by embellishing their outfit in various styles. Past examples include toga themes for hunters such as camo, a favorite football team with school colors and a favorite holiday such as Mardi Gras;

• Participation in a toga party on The Square;

• A wearable napkin in an emergency; and

• An outfit for the toga contest.

The festival fee is $5 for adults, $3 for children ages 3-12 and free for 2 and younger. Wear a toga and get $1 off admission.