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Over the weekend of May 2nd and 3rd, the Island Arts Foundation (IAF) will put on its biggest production yet when they bring the first ever two -day music festival to Ft. Myers Beach. Billed as Blues on the Green – the Seaside Soul Serenade, the event will be held on the pristine grounds of the Ft. Myers Beach Golf Course, and features performances from such world-renowned blues greats like Willie Pooch, Wendy Dewitt, the Sean Carney Band and ‘Mustang Sally' composer and singer Sir Mack Rice.
Blues on the Green kicks off on Saturday, May 2nd at noon when Florida's #1 Blues Band – The Smokin' Torpedoes – take the stage. The Torpedoes will be followed by International Blues Competition (IBC) winners Terry Hanck and J.P. Soars, and then the Queen of Boogie Woogie – Wendy DeWitt - will rock the golf tees right out of the ground with her explosive rolling piano sound. Finishing out the six hours of blues will be Sir Mack Rice, who will play until 6pm.
The second day of the festival begins at 2pm, when Willie Pooch, Columbus Ohio's ‘Grandfather of Blues', gets the crowd on their feet to shake their bones. Raised in Tupelo, Mississippi, Pooch is a blues singer extraordinaire. Pooch will be followed by Chicago-Detroit blues virtuoso Harmonica Shah, and then IBC Albert King Award winner and IAF favorite the Sean Carney Band will end the festival with bluesy bluster at 6pm. Expect an extra treat on this last set!
The 2009 Blues on the Green is made possible by major sponsors Covanta Energy, Fish-Tale Marina, The Island Sand Paper and Fort Myers Beach Golf. The Town of Fort Myers Beach and the Purple Heart Theater also sponsor the festival.
Tickets for this weekend of blues nirvana are only $20 for a one-day pass and $25 for both days, and are available by calling the ArtsLine at 239-218-6064 or by going to the IAF's website at www.islandartsfoundation.org. Don't miss out on this once-in-a-lifetime chance to see all this talent in one place for such a low price – and best of all it's on the beach! |