Bluez Fest returns to Spirit Lake
SPIRIT LAKE – It’s time to lose the blues at Spirit Lake’s annual Bluez Fest on Aug. 25.
Whether they like acoustic blues or electric blues, fans of all types will get a chance to enjoy the creative vibes of some of the best blues musicians around.
Seven bands – the Culprits, Yo & De Cats, Chip & the Bushwhackers, Crosstown, the Long Necks, Laffin’ Bones and Don Millard – will play throughout the day.
The festival is hosted by the three taverns on Maine Street – the Linger Longer Lounge, the White Horse Saloon and Jo’s Hole.
“It’s our biggest event of the year,” said Denise Forbes-Kegel, owner of the White Horse. “We get all kinds of people; they come and have a good time.”
Four bands will be playing simultaneously most of the day, with one on the outdoor stage and the others in each of the taverns.
Food will be available, with several businesses barbecuing out in the street, which will be blocked off for the festival.
The White Horse held the first festival more than 20 years ago, although no one seems certain of the exact year. But because the White Horse Bluez Fest garnered the Empire Award for Best Blues Festival in the Inland Northwest in both 1995 and 1996, Forbes-Kegel figures the event is at least 20 years old.
According to Linger Longer owner Cathy Kirk, “We’ve got some of the old-timers coming back to play this year.
“One of the members of Yo & De Cats was a friend of the owner of the White Horse back then and helped get the first festival going. They are coming from Texas, and another (Chip & the Bushwhackers) is coming from the Coast.”
Kirk, a blues fan, says she really enjoys the music she calls a combination of rock and soul, or “music with a Southern drawl.”
She says people attend from a widespread area. “We get people from Sandpoint and Spokane, and I sold two tickets to two little 70-year-old ladies last week. It’s a lot of fun if you like the blues.”
Tickets cost $17 if purchased at any Maine Street tavern before the event; they will cost $19 at the gate. Patrons must be at least 21 years old to enter.
Camping spots are available on Maine Street in the farmers’ market space. Cost is $10, and spots are available both days.