Back in 2006, John Ivany Marshall – the father of Hattiesburg architect Sarah Marshall Newton – was a volunteer for Live After Five, an event in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, designed to attract activity to the downtown area after regular business hours.
Two years later, as chairman of the Downtown Hattiesburg Association, Newton brought that idea to Hattiesburg in the form of the annual Live at Five at Town Square Park – where the stage will now be named the John I. Marshall stage in honor of Marshall, who passed away in 2007. The idea was requested by Newton as a parting gift of sorts as she hands over management of Live at Five to Allison Neville, and recently approved by Hattiesburg City Council.
“(Neville) is kind of starting a new entity and kind of a new chapter in the life of Live at Five, and so I thought a nice parting gift would be do commemorate my dad, who essentially put the idea in my head, and with his passing made it something I wanted to pursue,” said Newton, who also co-owns The Thirsty Hippo with her husband Brad. “I’m very touched that the mayor and (Ward 4 Councilwoman) Mary Dryden felt that it was appropriate, along with the other council members. To me, it’s an indicator that Live at Five has been a very positive addition to the quality of life, and that it’s recognized across the city – not just in downtown or any one ward.”
Although Marshall told Newton the concept had been a great success in Baton Rouge – and predicted it also would go over well in Hattiesburg – Newton was a tad skeptical at first, having never seen a similar stand-alone event in Hattiesburg.
“I had seen HUBFEST and the Olde Tyme Festival, but I’d never seen that sort of weekly, ‘let’s everybody get out and listen to live music, sit on the lawn, drink beer and have picnics,’” Newton said. “Nothing like that seemed to exist on a large scale that was free and open to the public, so I told him I didn’t think it would work in Hattiesburg.”
And even though the first event in 2008 – which at the time was called Live After Five – didn’t draw a huge crowd, Newton and her husband decided to start an LLC, get sponsors, and do the event on their own.
“So that’s how it became Live at Five – it’s kind of a mom-and-pop event,” Newton said. “I think that the success of Live at Five has been that it’s not associated with any organization, there’s no board, and we can make decisions quickly in the best interest of the community.
“We don’t have to worry about pleasing everybody; we’re just trying to please our fellow citizens and serve the greater good. That was our whole intent, was to bring more people downtown and provide a place where people can be proud of the city that they live in.”
Although this year’s Live at Five spring session has been indefinitely postponed because of the risk posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, the event has been a huge success for more than a decade, bringing thousands of attendees to downtown Hattiesburg to enjoy live music. The event is sponsored by local businesses and organizations from around the area.
“It’s the greatest gift I ever could have received, having put all that effort into something that people truly enjoy and appreciate and rely on,” Newton said.
Andrea Saffle, executive director of the Downtown Hattiesburg Association, said naming the stage after Marshall is a way to thank her for her efforts as she steps away from the endeavor. A plaque inscribed with the back story of Live at Five will be added to the stage, which was constructed six years ago.
“In typical Sarah fashion, she does not want personal recognition,” Saffle said. “She said all along, the whole reason she started Live at Five was for her father – her father inspired her to do it.
“He planted that seed within her to do it, and had the vision of what it could mean for Hattiesburg. So we talked with her about recognizing her in some way, and she would like to have it named in her father’s memory, and that would kind of help her to carry on her father’s memory as well.”
