Hot Blues and BBQ will return to Oxford Village this summer with new venues and an extra night of music.
‘It was very successful last year and I think it will be equally or more so successful this year,? said festival organizer Steve Allen during a Feb. 28 presentation to the village council.
Hot Blues and BBQ is now an official village event. It’s no longer under the DDA’s leadership.
Instead of holding a one-day blues festival in the municipal parking lot off W. Burdick Street as was done last year, Hot Blues and BBQ will commence on Friday, June 23 with a free concert in downtown’s Centennial Park.
‘Cajun and Zydeco will be the theme? for the music and vendors that evening, according to Allen. Scheduled to perform Friday night are a Detroit band called Fatboy and Jive Turkey and ‘tentatively,? the nationally-known ‘Zydeco Master? Terrence Simien.
On Saturday, June 24, the fun heads east to Scripter Park for a 12-hour blues fest from 10 a.m. to midnight featuring one national headliner (to be determined) and 10 local acts competing in the 2006 Detroit Blues Challenge Kickoff.
The event is part of the Motor City Breakdown, a series of competitions in which winning acts advance to the next round, with the ultimate goal of sending one band from metro Detroit to the national blues competition in Memphis, Tennessee next year.
The bands will be competing for an automatic spot in the Detroit finals, performance bookings, and thousands of dollars worth of prizes.
Saturday’s acts include Lady Sunshine & the X Band, Luther ‘Badman? Keith, The Bluescasters, Martindales, Carl Cabellero Band, Rusty Wright Blues, Billy Davis Rhythm Machine, Chris Canas Band and Pete ‘Bigdog? Fetters. A tenth act has yet to be signed.
The festival beer tent will return that Saturday, staffed by volunteers from the Oxford-Orion Kiwanis Club, who will share in the profits with the village.
Music Mentors was named the official pop and soft drink vendor and will receive a share of the proceeds.
A non-profit corporation, Music Mentors exposes youth to music education, performance, business, artists and all elements of the music industry, thereby enriching their lives and improving life skills.
‘They’re always looking for new ways to raise funds and I thought this might be a nice opportunity for them,? Allen told council.
Good news for festival food vendors, they will not have to pay any up-front fees to participate as they did last year ? a policy that gave rise to both concerns and complaints. Allen said this year food and beverages ? with the exception of beer ? will be paid for using tokens worth $1 each. One central location will sell tokens to festival-goers. At the end of the night, all the food vendors will turn in their tokens to be counted and cashed out.
‘We’ll pay them after keeping a small percentage (10 percent),? Allen told council. ‘The incentive is there (in) that the more they sell, the more we make. There’s no up front cost to them.?
Allen said so far the White Horse Inn, of Metamora, and Bone Daddy’s, of Mt. Pleasant, are the only food vendors to commit.
Last year, Hot Blues and BBQ made a profit of $3,865. This year’s projections show an estimated $38,713 in revenue and $20,767 in expenses, leaving an estimated profit of $19,952. ‘The projected profit gives us a large cushion to work with,? Allen said. ‘If it’s far less than that, we’ll still well cover our expenses.?
Volunteers are needed to help with clean up, security, food, finance and fund-raising, Allen said.
Tickets for Hot Blues and BBQ go on sale April 1. Tickets are $10 per adult for general, all-day admission. Family passes (two adults and an unlimited number of children) are available for $25 as are photo passes for ‘non-professionals that want to get up close for photos,? according to Allen.
Tickets will be available at the village offices (22 W. Burdick Street), by mail and via the website www.hotbluesandbbq.com. ‘We are working on a couple more outlets (for tickets),? Allen said.
For more information about Hot Blues and BBQ contact Steve Allen at (248) 249-5287 or by e-mail sallen8961@aol.com.