Audition Monday to perform at tornado relief festival

The organizers of Come Unity Now, a street party and music festival scheduled for July 30 to benefit tornado victims, will audition performers Monday at Raleigh's Seaboard Station. Bands, solo acts, dancers, entertainers and street performers can show their stuff from 5-10 p.m.

Posted 4:24 p.m. Jul 11, 2011 — Updated 4:39 p.m. Jul 11, 2011

RALEIGH, N.C. — The organizers of ComeUnityNow, a street party and music festival scheduled for July 30 to benefit tornado victims, will audition performers Monday at Raleigh's Seaboard Station. Bands, solo acts, dancers, entertainers and street performers can show their stuff from 5 to 10 p.m.

The festival will fill the void left by the cancellation of the popular Raleigh Wide Open festival, and the $10 cost of admission will benefit the Wake Interfaith Disaster Team and The Green Chair Project, which are helping tornado victims recover.

"The reality is that much work remains to be done," Mayor Charles Meeker said in a statement released by ComeUnityNow. "As a community, we need to finish the job to aid in long-term tornado disaster recovery efforts for the hundreds of families, individuals and businesses who were deeply affected by the April 16, 2011, tornadoes."

Meeker cited recent reports from the Federal Emergency Management Agency that Wake County has about $200,000 in needed repairs that aren't covered by insurance. More than 2,000 homes in the county were damaged by the storms, and for many, the recovery is ongoing.

Organizers said they also want to use the festival to honor first responders and other volunteers who helped during the crisis.

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