ST. MARYS -- Presale tickets for the 2010 Riverside Bluesfest will be available in select area locations for the July 4 holiday weekend.
The Bluesfest is a non-profit fund-raiser benefiting K.C. Geiger Park in St. Marys. This year marks the fourth annual blues concert, held each year on Labor Day weekend in K.C. Geiger Park.
Headlining the 2010 Riverside Bluesfest will be The Chris Duarte Group on Saturday, Sept. 4, and Kenny Wayne Shepherd on Sunday, Sept 5.
Chris Duarte, from San Antonio, mixes his Texas blues with a little jazz and lot of rock. Kenny Wayne Shepherd from Shreveport, Louisiana, best known for his #1 rock hit, "Blue On Black," is one of the blues' most famous advocates. His landmark 2007 CD and documentary DVD "Ten Days Out: Blues From the Backroads" featured many Piedmont and Delta blues masters, some of whom are no longer with us.
Performing just prior to this year's Bluesfest headliners will be Nick Moss and the Flip Tops from Chicago, and California boogie man Shane Dwight and his band.
The Sugar Thieves will be making the trip from Phoenix, Arizona to round out the long-distance talent.
Some of the best blues bands in Ohio complete the ten-band lineup. The 2007 International Blues Challenge-winning Sean Carney Band plays Sunday. The 2008 Riverside Bluesfest fan favorite The Jimi Vincent Band returns this year, while The Sonny Moorman Group brings their power trio blues rock from Cincinnati to St. Marys for the first time.
The dean of Columbus blues groups Ray Fuller and the Bluesrockers gets the whole festival going on Saturday, and Lima's The Hipsters (some say, "The Fabulous Hipsters") open the Sunday show.
Schwieterman Pharmacy will carry 2010 Riverside Bluesfest presale tickets in all six locations: St. Marys, New Bremen, Wapakoneta, Cridersville, Minster and Coldwater. Bluesfest tickets will also be on sale in St. Marys at Pantry Pride, Kroger and the Chamber of Commerce office.
In Celina, buy Riverside Bluesfest tickets at Chief Supermarket and the Celina Music Store. Sidney Foodtown is the only Riverside Bluesfest ticket outlet in Shelby County.
Presale tickets are priced $15 for Saturday's show, and $25 for Sunday's show featuring Kenny Wayne Shepherd. Two-Day ticket packages, including an on-site parking pass worth $10 for the weekend, are bargain priced at $35 each and are available in presale only. Day-of-show admission prices are $20 and $30 for Saturday and Sunday, respectively.
Riverside Bluesfest tickets are also sold online through TicketWeb.com (handling fees apply).
Major sponsors of the Riverside Bluesfest are the St. Marys Eagles Aerie 767 and the "New Bremen Blues Guild," which is a group of businesses including Master Machine Rebuilders, Rindler Automotive, Leugers Insurance Agency and CF Poeppelman, Inc. Visit "www.StMarysBlues.com" for the full list of sponsors, artist bios, vendor profiles, location map, music schedule and much more.
Enjoy world-class entertainment in St. Marys this Labor Day weekend, and support our beautiful park at the same time. Tell your friends, and get your tickets early. The Riverside Bluesfest is a great way to end the summer.
