25th annual Arkansas Blues and Heritage Festival

“Blues means what milk does to a baby. Blues is what the spirit is to the minister. We sing the blues because our hearts have been hurt, our souls have been disturbed.” Alberta Hunter Listen closely and you can hear it…the soulful sounds of a guitar and the brusque voice of the bluesman, proclaiming all the wrongs he has faced. It’s the blues…and it has become the heartbeat of the Arkansas Delta, a region that is no stranger to hardship. You hear that adversity in the music…and it reaches into the depths of the listener’s soul. It’s the blues…a powerful, lyrical lullaby for anyone who has faced pain or tragedy or just had a really bad day. It sweeps over you like the waves of the Mighty Mississippi. Each October, thousands from throughout the world flock to historic downtown Helena as the music takes over – giving visitors a three-day, down-home, soul-baring musical history lesson. The Arkansas Blues and Heritage Festival (formerly known as the King Biscuit Blues Festival) has become one of the largest blues festivals in the world. This year the world-renowned event celebrates its 25th anniversary. It will be a commemoration to be remembered. The festival is adding a special event this year, Warm-Up Wednesday. In the past, activities and music have always started on Thursday afternoon. According to Munnie Jordan, festival director, “We wanted to do something different this year. We want our visitors to get a behind-the-scenes look at how the festival comes together.” So Wednesday, Oct. 6, the festival area will have a “test run.” Food and beverage vendors will be open to the public beginning at noon on Wednesday. Festival wristbands (required to access the Main Stage area) and Blues Bucks will also be available for purchase. The official Festival Store will also be open, offering a wide variety of licensed Arkansas Blues and Heritage Festival products, including t-shirts, posters, pins and much more. Beginning at 3 p.m., Michael Burks and Anson Funderburg will take to the Main Stage for an “informal jam.” The concert is free and open to the public. Thursday, Oct. 7, marks the official kick-off of the 25th annual Arkansas Blues and Heritage Festival at 11 a.m. It’s also the start of the barbeque cook-off and the opening of the Arts and Crafts area. A Farmers Market will be open at the Courthouse Square park (located on Cherry Street, north of the festival area). Performers on Thursday include Willie Cobbs, the Sterling Billingsley Band, James Harman, Reba Russell and Paul Thorn. The night’s headliner is the legendary, undisputed “King of Blues,” B.B. King. The iconic guitarist takes the stage at 9:30 p.m. Arts and craft booths, the official festival store, and food and beverage vendors will be available throughout the day and evening. On Friday, Oct. 8, music abounds as two of the other stages – the Emerging Artists stage and the Lockwood Stackhouse Acoustic Stage – begin performances at 11 a.m. The musical slate from the Main Stage includes the Kentucky Headhunters, Marsha Ball, and Michael Burks. Dr. John, Friday night’s headliner, begins performing at 10 p.m. All festival areas, including vendors, arts and craft booths, and the festival store, will also be open. Saturday gets under way with the Kenneth Freemyer Memorial 5K/10K run at 8 a.m. The race starts at the Courthouse Park and is sponsored by Roller Funeral Homes of Helena-West Helena. At 11 a.m., a series of lectures/presentations entitled “Geography of the Blues” begins at the Malco Theater. The event leads off with a presentation by Curb Institute Blues Fellows at Rhodes College who research the music and culture of the Delta. Following at 3:30 p.m. is a panel discussion designed to illustrate the broad cultural heritage of the Delta region and the ways that the Delta has influenced world culture. Entitled “Geography of the Blues: How the Land Influences the Culture and Music of the Delta,” participants include Dr. David Evans, author of “Big Road Blues” and professor at the University of Memphis; Scott Baretta, writer and host of the “Highway 61” radio program on Mississippi Public Radio; Jim O’Neal, founder of “Living Blues” magazine; and Dr. John Bass, director of the Curb Institute at Rhodes College. The “Geography of the Blues” presentations are hosted by the Curb Blues Fellows of Rhodes College in Memphis, and sponsored by the Mike Curb Institute for Music at Rhodes College. Music begins at the Main Stage at 11:30 a.m. and at the Acoustic at noon. Saturday performances include Pinetop Perkins, Anson Funderburg, and Charlie Mussellwhite. The Main Stage headliner, Taj Mahal, begins at 10 p.m. Also new on Saturday is the TidBit block, an area dedicated to music and activities just for kids. Located at Courthouse Park, the TidBit block is the site of the Payton Clark Memorial Bit O’ Blues Stage, featuring Homemade Jamz Blues Band. The kids’ area will be open from 11 a.m. until 4 p.m. Free harmonica lessons just for youngsters will be available at 1 and 3 p.m. and the Arkansas Attorney General’s Identification Maze (which includes fingerprinting, photographing and weighing youngsters for security purposes) starts at noon. The Gospel Stage opens at 5 p.m. at the Courthouse Square and promises a headlining performance by the Memphis Harmonizers at 10 p.m. The festival store, vendors, and the arts and craft booths will be open until late evening. The festival encompasses the majority of the historic town’s Cherry Street, the same street that blues legends Sonny Boy Williamson, Robert “Junior” Lockwood and Robert Johnson once strolled on their way to becoming musical legends. Wristbands are required to access the festival’s Main Stage area all three days of the festival. All other stages and activities are free. Tickets for the 25th annual Arkansas Blues and Heritage Festival can be purchased at www.bluesandheritagefest.com for $25. Advance tickets may be purchased at Edwards’ Food Giant, a Blues King Sponsor of this year’s festival, for $23. A $3 coupon can be found at the back of all AT&T 2010 Yellow Pages throughout the region. With the coupon and advanced purchase at Food Giant, festival goers can save up to $5 per ticket. Tickets may be purchased at Edwards’ Food Giant locations in Helena-West Helena, Marianna, Forrest City, Harrisburg and Little Rock through October 1. For more detailed information and a complete lineup for the 25th annual Arkansas Blues and Heritage Festival, visit www.bluesandheritagefest.com.

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