The Jimmys, 2 p.m.

JimmyVoegeli.com

As luck would have it, when the Entertainment Committee was looking for a regional band for the opening slot on Sunday at the Fest, across our collective desk came a disc by The Jimmys. Not only was the music rollicking, dance-worthy blues, but the band had horns -- something missing from other acts at the Fest.

Bill Sims Jr. & Mark LaVoie, 2 p.m.

BillSimsJr.com/billmark

Bill Sims Jr. (guitar and vocals) and Mark LaVoie (harmonica) call themselves the American Roots Blues Duo. Bill is from New York City, and Mark lives in Vermont. They have been working together for more than 15 years, mostly in Vermont. In the early '90s while working in Burlington, Vermont, Bill met Mark and they became fast friends after discovering their shared love of acoustic blues.

David Horwitz, Workshop at 2:30 p.m. Sunday

Photographer and educator David Horwitz of Tucson, Arizona, has been traveling to clubs and festivals for decades in search of great blues music for his ears and visual images to capture on film. Winner of the 1999 Blues Foundation's Keeping the Blues Alive Award for Photography, David has spent more than 25 years capturing moments of the blues masters. His works have appeared in countless publications. -- Ann Ring

Greetings, and welcome to the 26th-annual IH Mississippi Valley Blues Festival!

We at the Mississippi Valley Blues Society are proud of our accomplishment of producing this nationally acclaimed festival for more than 25 years. We now embrace the challenge of continuing on this tradition by bringing you quality entertainment for at least another 25 years. To do this we will continue to provide features that our fans have come to expect: world-renowned blues acts at both of our main stages, interactive BlueSKool programs on-site for the young and young at heart, and a free photo exhibit and workshops for one and all at the Freight House.