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Roots 'N Blues 'N BBQ Festival Featured in Home and Lifestyle Magazine Mon, Aug 11 2008
Roots 'N Blues 'N BBQ Festival
By Joanna Schneider • Photos by LG Patterson
When delicious, finger licking barbeque, soulful roots and blues music and gathering time for family and friends mix, the result is an all out extravaganza known to Columbians as the Roots ‘N Blues ‘N BBQ Festival.
Last year’s festivities drew over 65,000 people to Columbia and an even bigger turnout (over 100,000) is expected for this year’s festival. Locally based entertainment group, Thumper Entertainment, has gained ownership of the event and is expected to create a festival unlike anything Columbia has seen. Thumper is dedicated to bringing live music performers, who in the past have not been a possibility, says Tracy Lane, Executive Director of Thumper Entertainment.
“…We have formed this company because we feel the social and cultural benefits of music are so important to our community,” she says. “We feel music does a great deal to promote unification and social progress and we want that for this town in which we are all raising our children.”
Once again, there will be a Kansas City Barbeque Society State Championship BBQ contest featuring the best barbeque cooks around and an ample sampling of delicious, authentic barbeque from various local vendors. Families and friends can gather on blankets and lawn chairs in Peace Park and Flat Branch Park where stages will feature internationally recognized blues, country, bluegrass, soul and gospel artists. The talent, music and energy of these artists is not to be missed and will be headlined by legendary bluesman, Buddy Guy.
New this year is the Verizon Wireless Flat Branch Park Family Fun Area, designed as a safe, fun area for families and their children. Columbia Home & Lifestyle will be the media sponsor of the new area. Thumper wanted to establish an area within the festival landscape to encourage parents with small children to be able to come and enjoy the event without having to navigate through the crowds and craziness with strollers and diaper bags in tow. Here, families can come and bring their kids and a picnic blanket and basket and spend the day in the park. All of the entertainment on stage in this area will be family friendly and features national and local acts including favorites such as the Juke Joint Duo—a group that includes one of the many grandchildren of R. L. Burnside.
In partnership with Thumper, the Missouri Blues Society and Boone County National Bank will, for the second year, be sponsoring a collaborative performance by Grant Elementary School students and T.J. Wheeler, a musician and instructor dedicated to traveling the country for the “Blues in Schools Program.” This joint performance is something Thumper and its partners anticipate continuing in the future.
“It’s very important to give kids this hands-on opportunity to feel the music and learn to appreciate the talent and the love involved in being a musician,” Tracy says. “Music has such a powerful social impact on individuals, especially children.”
Some Things to Know if You Go:
Date: Oct. 3, from 5 to 10 p.m.
Oct. 4, from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Cost: Free
Where are the Stages? One stage will be at the Verizon Wireless Flat Branch Park Family Fun Area near the intersection of Fourth and Cherry Streets, and one will be in Peace Park near the intersection of Sixth and Elm Streets. A third additional stage will sit in the street at Eighth and Cherry Streets.
No pets or coolers allowed. Food, drinks and souvenirs will be available for purchase.
For more information, visit rootsnbluesnbbq.com
Roots ‘N Blues ‘N BBQ Festival Art Contest
As a sponsor of the Verizon Wireless Flat Brach Park Family Fun Area, Columbia Home & Lifestyle invites all school-age children to participate in our art contest. The winning school will be determined by the percentage of students participating in the contest for each school. The school with the highest percentage of participants will receive $500 from Verizon Wireless for its art and music departments.
There’s a small picture of Oinky the Pig above, please complete the big Oinky and decorate him however you want. Have fun! For further ideas and more information about Oinky, go to www.rootsnbluesnbbq.com/family-fun.
You may download a larger image of oinky here.
Turn this sheet into your art teacher or your parents and have them send it by Monday, September 8th to:
Columbia Home & Lifestyle
2001 Corporate Place
Columbia, Mo 65202
NAME:
AGE:
SCHOOL:
TEACHER: