Get the blues and have a great weekend

11th Annual Pittsburgh Blues Festival

July 15-July 17

Hartwood Acres, Pittsburgh, Pa.… 11th Annual Pittsburgh Blues Festival

July 15-July 17

Hartwood Acres, Pittsburgh, Pa.

July 15 marks the start of the 11th Annual Pittsburgh Blues Festival. The Festival’s venue for this year is at the beautiful Hartwood Acres, approximately a half an hour from the University of Pittsburgh campus. Stretched over three days, the Pittsburgh Blues Festival offers performances from local and professional artists alike. Some of the local acts, such as Eugene and the Nightcrawlers and Sweaty Betty Blues Band, will take the stage interspersed between the acts of some better-known artists like Edgar Winter and Shemekia Copeland.

The cost of advance tickets is $18 for one day. The price is raised to $20 any time after July 14th. The 3-day BluesFest Badge, a pass that lasts the whole weekend, costs $50 and will save the die-hard blues fan a little bit of money for a weekend full of music.

The proceeds from this event go to the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank. The Food Bank will also be collecting canned goods at the festival. They hope that people will bring non-perishable goods to donate when attending, and will show their thanks for any donations by handing out coupons for free popcorn.

Bringing coolers and food are discouraged in hopes that more money can be raised for the food bank. Sodexho, infamous on Pitt’s campus, will be making the food for the weekend. Some of the menu options include barbecued ribs, French fries, pierogies and veggie burgers along with several other options. Of course, water and soda pop will also be available to buy. Any attendees 21 years and older can also purchase beer at the event with an appropriate ID.

The Blues Festival is really trying to appeal to families this year by allowing children 12 and younger to enter the event for free. There is even a tent devoted to activities for children. Some of the activities include face painting, storytelling and even harmonica lessons.

The festival’s Web site, www.pghblues.com, serves as an incredible resource to people interested in learning more about the festival. The Web site allows people to buy tickets online with any major credit card and also offers the numbers of hotels nearby where out of town visitors can stay. They even add a note letting people know that tents and RVs are not allowed at Hartwood Acres overnight.

The 11th Annual Blues Festival has a great deal to offer. Every person that attends not only gets the opportunity to enjoy a day, or three days, worth of music, but they get to do it for a good cause. There’s not a venue more beautiful than Hartwood Acres either. These are merely a few reasons why the Pittsburgh Blues Festival will surely be a wonderful event for young and old alike.