The Mississippi Valley Blues Society has received a major grant from the Iowa Arts Council to help fund the 2012 Blues Festival as well as the MVBS Blues in the Schools residencies for 2012-2013. In addition, Humanities Iowa has granted the MVBS funds to help support the free workshops to be held in the Freight House across the tracks from LeClaire Park on June 30 and July 1.
The 28th annual Mississippi Valley Blues Festival takes place on June 29, June 30, and July 1 in Davenport's LeClaire Park. The event features 24 acts on two stages over three days. Advance tickets at only $12.50 per day until Thursday June 28 are available at Hy-Vee stores in the Quad Cities, Clinton, and Muscatine, as well as at the Muddy Waters in Bettendorf, Rascals in Moline, and Martinis on the rock in Rock Island. They are available until Thursday June 28.
This is the first time that the Blues Festival has been underwritten by support from the Iowa Arts Council and Humanities Iowa. The Humanities Iowa grant helps to fund the six free workshops associated with the festival. On Saturday, the workshops feature David Horwitz?Blues Photography, Donna Herula?Slide Guitar, and Doug MacLeod?National Resonator Slide Guitar. Sunday's workshops feature Paul Geremia?6 and 12-String Country Blues Guitar, Liz Mandeville?Women in the Blues, and Hawkeye Herman?Stories of the Blues.
Other major sponsors of the blues Festival include the Riverboat Development Authority, KWQC-HD TV6, The River Cities' Reader, The Lodge, KALA Radio, and Alcoa.
For more information about the Blues Festival, visit www.mvbs.org.
