10th Annual Stillwater Blues Festival opening Friday

10th annual Blues Festival opening Friday

Jon Kocan - NewsPress

The largest free blues festival in central Oklahoma will kick off two days of live music Friday.

The 10th annual Stillwater Blues Festival is set to bring acts from five states to two stages Friday and Saturday at the Stillwater Community Center.

“I cannot say enough about the fact that we have been able to provide this free every year,” said Gloria Short, program coordinator for the community center.

Friday’s events will begin at 6 p.m. with Last Novella followed by Tim Dancy. Short said last year the festival drew nearly 6,000 people and she expects an equal or better turnout this year.

Little Joe and Rob McLerran will take the stage at 7:30 p.m. and 9 p.m., with A.J. & The Why Nots playing a set in between. Friday’s headliner will be Levee Town, which will take the stage at 9:30 p.m.

According to Short, three food venders will be on hand. She said there will be barbecue available with the blues music and also seafood and hamburgers.

Community center staff will be selling shirts, beer and other refreshments. Those who plan to attend should bring a lawn chair or a blanket — bleachers will not be available this year.

Events Saturday will open with a blues guitar competition. There categories are available to enter and prizes will be given to the top three players. For information, call the community center at 533-8433.

This will mark the second year of the competition at the festival. The finals for the competition will be held at 2:15 p.m. following a Blues in the School showcase.

It will be all music from there on with names such as Blue Drue Webber, Garret “Big G” Jacobson, Rollin Phatties, The Rounders and Jessica V & the Rythmics taking the stage before 6:30 p.m.

According to Short, Jessica V & the Rythmics won best emerging artist at the 2006 Arkansas Blues Festival.

David Berntson is once again scheduled to give harmonica lessons at 7:30 p.m. and 9 p.m.. He missed last year’s festival due to a case of appendicitis. Berntson will also spend Friday at the middle school and junior high for the Blues in the School program.

Tracy Conover, hailing from Austin, Texas, is set to take the stage at 8 p.m. Saturday.

The festival will be capped off by Smokin Joe Kubek & Bnois King taking the stage at 9:30 p.m.

Short said Mac Crank and Shelly Ricer, originators of the blue festival, will display crossroads guitars and the first tabloids for the festival. “There’s going to be some unique history.”

According to Short, the festival has begun to attract attention from around the state and across the border. She said people come each year from Wichita and all across Oklahoma for the weekend of free blues music.