Welcome to the 22nd Annual IH Mississippi Valley Blues Festival. Many individuals and organizations have committed their time and resources toward this nationally recognized blues festival. A volunteer event of this magnitude simply does not continue to occur without a strong commitment and a passion for the blues and its impact on our lives. As the president of the Mississippi Valley Blues Society (MVBS), I have been proud to serve side-by-side with the board members, committee chairs, and members who give significant amounts of their time and talent to produce this festival, along with the educational and year-round event opportunities produced by the MVBS.
This year's artist lineup is once again absolutely phenomenal and would not be possible without the support of our title sponsor, IH Mississippi Valley Credit Union, as well as the Scott County Regional Authority, whose contributions helped fund our Gulf Coast musicians' day on Saturday, July 1. This year's lineup certainly promotes continued research in cloning, as I struggle with the question of which artist stage to commit my time to. Be sure to take in the opportunity to win a National Reso-Phonic Guitar and an iPod programmed with artists from this year's festival. Raffle tickets will be available for the National Reso-Phonic Guitar, and the opportunity to win the iPod will be for those who recently joined the ranks as an active member of the MVBS.
I encourage you to consider joining our society if you are not a current member. Not only does your nominal monetary contribution assist in the MVBS festival and educational and year-round programming, but you gain the opportunity to provide additional input into these events. Stop by our information tent at the festival.
The IH Mississippi Valley Blues Festival is not the only nationally recognized program within our society. BlueSKool is a year-round artist-in-residency program supported by generous contributions from the Riverboat Development Authority. Many additional sponsors support the festival and contribute to the effectiveness of the educational and year-round MVBS programs. These sponsors are acknowledged in the official River Cities' Reader festival-guide thank-you advertisement.
Thanks for attending, enjoy this year's festival, and consider the other opportunities provided to you by downtown Davenport, including the Rhythm City Casino, the River Music Experience, the Figge Art Museum, the Bucktown Center for the Arts, and numerous nightclubs and restaurants.
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Rick Palmer, Mississippi Valley Blues Society President
