Organizers are working overtime preparing the first ever Powell River Blues Festival to be held June 3 to 5 and featuring some of the hottest blues acts around.
With only a few months to go the lineup is finalized and organizers are ironing out details and looking for more sponsors. The event will be held at Beach Gardens Resort and Marina where organizers expect 1,200 to 1,500 people daily to come check out local vendors, hopefully soak up some sun and take in some world-class blues.
The idea for the festival came to Vancouver-based businessman Jack Barr, who has business interests in Powell River, after attending Pender Harbour Blues Festival and talking to organizers there. A long-time blues fan, Barr thought the event would be a great opportunity for Powell River and a stimulant to the local economy.
A local committee made up of Barr, Chamber of Commerce Manager Kim Miller, chamber director Don Krompocker, City of Powell River Councillor Debbie Dee and West Coast Jazz and Blues Society President Peter Taylor formed to bring the event to life. Others have joined and now everything is coming together for an exciting first event.
“This thing just kind of took a life on of its own and more and more people said ‘that’s great, how can I help?’” said Barr. “Really it’s all about promoting Powell River, when it comes down to it that’s the number one thing.”
The committee organized the festival as a non-profit society and any profit the festival makes will be donated to local charities. The society is currently looking for sponsors willing to chip in anywhere from $250 to $10,000 in exchange for advertising and promotions. The committee is anticipating benefits for the local economy with people coming in from out of town to take in the festival.
The Friday night lineup features local blues veteran Sam Hurrie along with Juno nominee The Twisters and Ottawa-based MonkeyJunk, who recently won Best New Artist Debut at the 2010 Blues Music Awards in Memphis, Tennessee. Music kicks off at noon on Saturday and goes all day, finishing up with the Juno award-winning swing, rock, rhythm, blues group Powder Blues Band. Music on Sunday goes from 1 pm to 7 pm, featuring local bluesman Ron Campbell, Vancouver-based Steve Kozak and the Lloyd Jones Struggle closing the festival.
For the Friday and Saturday nights 225 tickets will be available at the festival on a first-come, first-served basis for an after-hours blues jam with some of the top acts from the festival. The jams will take place at the Beach Garden’s Pow Wow Room and will be a chance for an up close and personal blues session.
Barr hopes to see the festival expand in future years to include even more acts and potentially more venues. The committee is intentionally organizing a manageable-sized festival this year in order to gain experience to build from. Other BC festivals Powell River is modeling itself after, such as the one in Pender Harbour or Salmon Arm Roots and Blues Festival, are highly successful events which attract big talent and generate money for their communities.
Tickets for the festival are available online for a reduced rate if purchased before April 1. Tickets will also be available at the gate. Vendors interested in space can contact Miller at 604.485.4051. Potential sponsors can contact Richard Toop at 604.485.0159.
