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I think the blues will always be around. People need it.

- Johnny Winter
 
Blues Fest Layout Details and Advance Ticket Sales Extended

DAVENPORT, Iowa — The Mississippi Valley Blues Society today announced it is extending advance ticket sales through July 2, in hopes of selling more $40 three-day passes to help offset the nonprofit organization’s costs of moving the festival from LeClaire Park to the streets of downtown Davenport, due to the Flood of 2008.

“The IH Mississippi Valley Blues Festival provides an excellent staycation for local residents and an affordable weekend getaway for our fellow Midwesterners recovering from the Flood of 2008,” says Joe Taylor, president, Quad Cities Convention and Visitor’s Bureau. “Now’s the time to buy our tickets for three great days of world-class entertainment right here in our own backyard, and at the same time support this very dedicated group of volunteers who are working day and night to ensure this festival still goes on, not only for our enjoyment, but to fund its important music education programs in our schools and to give our downtown’s economy a much needed boost.”

According to the Quad Cities Convention and Visitors Bureau, the festival’s economic benefit to the area is $2.5 million.

The IH Mississippi Valley Blues Festival, July 3 – 5, will take place along 2nd Street in downtown Davenport, and will utilize the Adler Theater for a portion of the festivities. Artists scheduled to perform in LeClaire Park’s bandshell will now play on the Main Stage at 2nd Street and Pershing, and the artists scheduled for the park’s tent stage will now perform at the Adler Theater. Free workshops are scheduled for Kaiserslautern Square across 3rd street from the Adler, and BlueSKool will take place in the River Center corridor between 2nd and 3rd Streets. Event parking is available at the parking ramp on Brady Street between 2nd and 3rd streets, as well as at other parking ramps downtown.

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Blues Fest Site Map

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The Avey Brothers Win 2008 Iowa Blues Challenge

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Chris Avey
Congratulations to The Avey Brothers for winning the 2008 Iowa Blues Challenge, held Saturday, May 17 at the Hotel Fort Des Moines. This Quad Cities band consists of Chris Avey on guitar and vocals, Mark Avey on bass, Bryan West on drums and Chris Ryan on harmonica. Formerly collaborating in the Twin Towers Band and rock band Blue Ash Ink, Chris and Mark Avey have been a fixture on the Quad Cities music scene for the past ten years or so. While Chris was off in Phoenix playing lead guitar with the Big Pete Pearson Band, Mark had a successful stint playing bass with the Mercury Brothers, who also won the Iowa Blues Challenge and made it to the finals of the International Blues Challenge in Memphis, which is a significant feat in itself.

 

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Blues Fest Tickets Available!

ImageAdvance tickets for the 2008 IH Mississippi Valley Blues Festival are now available at all IH Mississippi Valley Credit Untion locations, the River Center/Adler Theatre box office and through Ticketmaster®. A three-day pass for the Fest is available in advance for $40. The admission price at the gate will be $18 per day, so the three-day pass offers a significant savings. Mississippi Valley Blues Society and IH Mississippi Valley Credit Union members will also be able to purchase individual fest tickets in advance at a discounted rate of $15 each at all IHMVCU locations.

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Fruteland Jackson Braves Snow and Cold to Teach About the Blues

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Fruteland Jackson
Beginning in the year 2000 with the John Jackson February Black History Month Blues in the School Residency and continuing from year to year until the 2007 February residency of Hal Reed and Donald Kinsey we could have not been more forthright with the good weather we had during each of the eight residencies. But winter weather finally caught up with us for Fruteland Jackson this February during the week of the 4th through 8th. It began snowing during Fruteland’s workshop at St. Paul the Apostle School in Davenport Tuesday afternoon and continued off and on until late Wednesday afternoon. There were twelve inches of snow on the ground, causing cancellations of Fruteland’s workshops at Rock Island High School and Audubon Elementary School on Wednesday. The weather greatly affected attendance at the free open to the public performances at the Bettendorf Library on Tuesday and River Music Experience on Wednesday.

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