If you’re looking for something fun and free to do this weekend, you need to come downtown to check out the Alpena Blues Festival, in memory of Maggie Lamb Saturday June 21st! The event starts at 2pm and ends at 10pm and will be held in the bandshell at Bay View Park. Bring your group of friends and enjoy celebrating the history and culture of blues music.

If you get hungry while you’re enjoying the wonderful sounds of blues music, you can get a bite to eat from the food trucks that will be there. KC Sizzle & Smoke, Zoo’s Tasty Eatz and FTP (For the Pizza). You are also welcome to bring your own chairs and cooler packed with non or alcoholic beverages or grab a social district drink from one of the local downtown bars.

Check out the full lineup below!

2pm to 4pm – Blues by the Drop 5 Inspired by the Chicago blues scene of the ’50s and ’60s Blues By The Drop is focused on keeping the Chicago blues alive and well. The founding members Leon Blew on Harmonica and vocals along with Johnny Keyes on keyboards and vocals both have a deep love for the blues.

4pm to 6pm – Broken Arrow Blues with Tosha Owens Broken Arrow Blues Band was born on stage at a benefit concert for needy families of the Detroit area Carpenters Union, where four different band’s members came together to produce a great performance for a crowd of over 2000 people in August of 2008. The natural gel and awesome groove produced there at that concert left only one thing to do, run with it and start a new Band. The Band is comprised of ALL Venerated and Seasoned Veteran Blues Musicians from great bands in their own rights.

6pm to 8pm – Asamu Johnson and Associates of the Blues Stages have been built across this country to showcase the beautiful art form of the Blues. When Asamu Johnson and The Associates of The Blues step on one, they uplift the rich enduring heritage of the Blues and the hearts and spirits of everyone listening. They’ve had all eyes and ears on them at venues and events across the nation.

8pm to 10pm – Eliza Neals “Trained in opera, but with the grit of Koko Taylor, Neals’ voice is like sand in a velvet bag, fired from a shotgun… Sonically, this is the kind of nasty, hyper-electrified, gut-bucket blues that holds your huevos at knife point… Blues-Rock may be a newer form of the genre, but it’s a legitimate one and Neals has made it her niche. From her bottom heavy debut Breaking and Entering, through the Gothic blues of 10,000 Feet Below, she has proven that women have every place in the blues world, and can run with the biggest dogs in the yard…” – American Blues Scene 2019

For more information on this event be sure to check out their website here! You can also bring canned goods or non-perishable food items to support their “Help Stamp Out Hunger with the Blues” program!