ST. MARYS -- The Riverside Bluesfest, the annual music festival in St. Marys' K.C. Geiger Park, continues to grow.
Now in its third year, the Riverside Bluesfest began as a one-day show in 2007 and added an evening show in 2008. This year, the sound of blues will fill St. Marys for two full days, on Saturday Sept 5 and Sunday Sept 6 of Labor Day weekend.
"We're trying to establish the Riverside Bluesfest as a 'destination' event," committee member Dave Stilwell said. "People make plans for Labor Day weekend, and we hope they include our festival in those plans. The extra day makes it easier to schedule a visit to St. Marys."
Nestled at the bottom of a grassy hill, beside the St. Marys River in a wooded corner of the 70-acre K.C. Geiger Park, the festival site has a secluded and relaxed feel to it. The audiences bring their own lawn chairs or blankets and enjoy an afternoon and evening of local, regional and national blues entertainers.
Headline acts for 2009 are Lil' Ed and the Blues Imperials (taking the stage at 9:30 pm on Saturday, Sept 5), and The Tommy Castro Band, to close out the festival beginning at 9:30 pm Sunday, Sept 6. Lil' Ed and the Blues Imperials are famous as "the" houserocking Chicago blues band. From San Francisco, Tommy Castro's unique blend of soulful blues and guitar mastery will lead his 7-piece band in a memorable 2009 Riverside Bluesfest finale.
Opening for Lil' Ed on Saturday are the Doghouse Daddies from Kansas City, MO. They are the first band to repeat as Riverside Bluesfest performers, having appeared here in 2007. On Sunday, the Inner City Blues Band from Columbus, Ohio sets up the headline show. In all, fourteen blues bands will perform at this year's festival, with music beginning at 1:00 pm and ending at 11:00 pm each day.
The Riverside Bluesfest is a fund-raising project of the local K.C. Geiger Park Committee, formed in 1993 to preserve and improve the municipal facility. A related volunteer group called the St. Marys Blues Guild meets year-round to plan the Bluesfest, and as many as 300 local volunteers staff parking, catering, grounds, entrance, security, backstage, finance and merchandise services during the show.
Riverside Bluesfest tickets are available at the gate, online and at select area locations. Day of show pricing is $20 per day, presale tickets are $15 each. Children twelve years old and younger enter free with a paying adult. See www.stmarysblues.com for more ticket information.
Saturday, Sept 5, 2009
- 9:30 pm - Lil' Ed & the Blues Imperials (Chicago)
- 8:00 pm - Doghouse Daddies (Kansas City)
- 6:30 pm - Josh Boyd & the V.I.P. Band (Toledo)
- 5:00 pm - Mark Laurens & Zydeco Fire (Yellow Springs)
- 3:30 pm - The Code Blue Band (Columbus)
- 2:15 pm - Lady Bird & the Dirty Dirty Earthworms (local)
- 1:00 pm - MC Blues (local)
Sunday, Sept 6, 2009
- 9:30 pm - The Tommy Castro Band (San Francisco)
- 8:00 pm - Inner City Blues BandŽ (Columbus)
- 6:30 pm - Johnny Reed & the Houserockers (Toledo)
- 5:00 pm - Davina & the Vagabonds (St. Paul, MN)
- 3:30 pm - Ricky Gene Hall & the Goods (Columbus)
- 2:15 pm - The Nightcrawlers (local)
- 1:00 pm - Chip Brogan Layin' Low (local)
Additional information:
2009 Riverside Bluesfest food vendors will offer BBQ chicken, beef and pork; chicken wings; pizza; teriyaki chicken; burgers; hot dogs; shredded chicken, etc. Beer, wine coolers and wine will be served on-site. No carry-ins permitted. Ticket office opens at 11:00 am, gates open at noon. Free pass out and re-entry. A cornhole tournament will be held on Saturday, Sept 5. There is a five-dollar charge for on-site parking; free parking is a ten-minute walk away. No pets permitted (except service animals). The Riverside Bluesfest is a non-profit charity fund raising event: all proceeds benefit K.C. Geiger Park.
