Blues on the River will come to Riverside Park for its inaugural event at 5:30 p.m. Saturday hosted by Columbus Art Council and Columbus Parks and Recreation.
Greg Lewis, director of Parks and Recreation and Quan Walker, executive director for Columbus Art Council, plan to make it an annual event. The pair also hope it to be the first in a series that will bring different genres of music to different city parks.
“Right now we know that people like blues,” Lewis said. “… As with anything else (genres that continue) will be based on participation. But we are going to offer it.”
Musical performances will begin at 6:30 p.m.
Columbus blues duo Keith and Margie will kick off the performances followed by Starkville blues duo Honeyboy and Boots, a harmonic performance from Jock Webb and Lend McWhorter with Edna Nicole and Reverend Slim, from the Delta closing out the night.
“We have very talented people, not only in the Golden Triangle but in Mississippi. So, definitely highlighting our Mississippians is my goal for our series,” Walker said.
There will be vendors at the event who will serve burgers, barbeque and snow cones. Columbus Parks and Recreation will have water and soda for sale while the Arts Council will be selling “adult beverages,” Walker said.
Both Walker and Lewis told The Dispatch they are expecting a large turnout for Blues on the River based on turnout they have seen at similar events in the region and feedback they have received from the community.
The series is funded by local donations, a grant received by the Columbus Arts Council and local partners including the Columbus Parks and Recreation programming fund.
“We know the heat’s going to be there, but (hopefully there’s also) a good time … a space where people can just let their hair down, and we could just fellowship together through music,” Walker said.
Due to how early the pair is in the planning stage, they aren’t able to say where or when the next one will be. The hope is future events will look similar to the one on Saturday but with potentially smaller turnout, but the back up plan if parks don’t work out is to use the Arts Council auditorium.
“When we do the thing with the country and if they get a massive crowd … then we want to do (that again). So what I’m saying is we’re going to cater to the people,” Lewis told The Dispatch.
“Basically, we’re throwing spaghetti and seeing what sticks,” Walker added.
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