Woodstars: Despite Speculation, All Acts Will Perform

Earlier this month, organizers of the Woodstars Festival approached Hillside village officials with an idea for a festival that included an all-star lineup of Salt-n-Pepa, Boyz II Men and Lil' Wayne — none of which appear on the current bill.

Now, speculation continues to mount about which top-tier acts will actually show up this weekend in Maywood. Asked about the speculation on acts showing up or not, spokesperson Randy Bonds said all scheduled performers will be there.

“As far as the events, all the acts are performing,” he said. “If anyone wants to question that, they can come out and see for themselves.”

Still, many websites for the headlining acts, including Twista, Nelly, Juelz Santana and Faith Evans either don't list WoodStars appearances on their schedule or tour dates couldn't be found at all. And discrepancies abound with scheduling: Kim Burrell, Wale, Demi Lobo, Don P and Olivia are listed under the "Featured Artists" section but they're not scheduled to perform, according to the website's schedule. (Those artists could, however, fill in the slots listed as question marks on the performance schedule.)

Conversely, on the WoodStars Facebook page, Shortie Thomas posted saying he would be performing as well, but there is no mention of him on the website.

The festival is mainly sponsored by the foundations of two Proviso East alumni, NBA veteran Michael Finley and Los Angeles Laker Shannon Brown. According to the festival's website, it’s intended to benefit both foundations, as well as District 209 schools.