LANETT — A Greater Valley Area native is holding a festival to promote positive, anti-bullying sentiments for the third year in a row.

On Saturday, Storem and Sun Entertainment, owned and operated by Sharon Acres, otherwise known by locals as Ladee Storem, will be holding its third annual Family Fun Day Festival.

The festival started in 2016 with an official proclamation from Lanett Mayor Kyle McCoy. Acres said the festival’s goal is to gather community members and spread positivity.

“There are a lot of ‘stop bullying’ events at schools for kids,” she said. “Kids get bullied all the time, bullying is very serious. This is for everybody to come together as a family to have a good time for a great cause.”

The festival will be held at the W.O. Lance field across the street from the elementary school on 200 South 8th Ave in Lanett.

Like years past, it will feature live musical performances, food vendors, prize giveaways and more fun for the family.

Acres said that there will also be an Aretha Franklin challenge, a singing competition to see who can do the best rendition of the late singer’s most popular track, “Respect.”

The anti-bullying messages that the festival represents are personal to Acres.

“I was bullied in school and then I became the bully,” she said. “I saw that hurting people’s feelings is not fun, so I stopped. People get hurt all the time and I want to stop that from happening.”

Through her entertainment business Acres works with kids often, sharing her message while helping those who walk through her doors to perform plays.

The festival came out of her desire to spread that message on a larger scale, while at the same time giving the community something fun to do.

“It just came to me, the idea to have a Lanett Family Fun Day Festival for the whole area,” she said. “It was just something I have always wanted to do, to have a festival, bring people together to eat and have a good time.”

The festival will run from 11 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. ET this Saturday and Acres said that everyone is invited. More information can be found on their Facebook page: “The Family Fun Day Festival in Lanett Alabama.”