Illustration by Kasey Loman

The passing of rock legend Prince this month had a profound effect on people all over the world, and Fayetteville folks were no exception.

Our newsfeeds were bursting with tributes to the legendary performer last week, and now, some local folks have concocted a plan to honor the singer at the Block Street Block Party, set for Sunday, May 22 on Block Avenue.

Locals Kasey Loman and Bryan Gott spearheaded the effort to “Let Purple Reign” during the event by encouraging folks to wear purple to the Block Party as a tribute to Prince. The two are also coordinating with a local trumpet player to lead a line-style parade of purple-clad attendees down Block Avenue during the event.

The idea came after Loman turned to her outlet as a graphic artist to create an illustration of the performer to express her grief over the news of Prince’s death.

“I am a big Prince fan,” Loman said. “I just drew the art because I was really sad that we lost another amazing talent so young.”

Loman posted the illustration to Facebook, which inspired Gott to contact her about the idea for the tribute.

“I was very moved by the out-pouring of emotion,” Gott said. “It felt like Fayetteville was the perfect place to celebrate a talented person who was brave enough to stand up for minorities and challenge many different short-sided views throughout the years.”

Gott said he approached Hannah Withers, who helps to organize the annual event, about the idea, and she was all for it. In addition to the parade, Loman said she’s created a few t-shirts featuring her design, and she’ll have them available for sale at the Block party.

For a bit more information about the tribute, check out the Facebook event.