Non-stop Blues in the Delta

Over a 12-day period running through Monday, October 8, Mississippi, Arkansas, and Memphis, Tennessee, is overflowing with incredible music and blues-related happenings in a landmark event called Bridging the Blues. 

“The sights and sounds of the blues have lured devout music fans to the Delta for many years,” said Mississippi Delta Tourism Association President Wesley Smith. “But until the last decade finding one’s way to the holy sites of the music involved actively digging for information about juke joint performances, gravesites or the site of the supposed ‘crossroads.’”

A new effort to help fans find their way through the Delta region of Mississippi, Arkansas and Memphis is Bridging the Blues. The project builds upon the success of Helena, Arkansas’ venerable King Biscuit Blues Festival (October 4-6) in drawing blues fans from across the region, the nation and abroad. Bridging the Blues is anchored by “the Biscuit” on one end, and at the other by the Highway 61 Blues Festival in Leland, which takes place on Saturday, September 29. 

The King Biscuit Blues Festival in Helena will feature Bobby Rush, Taj Mahal and Bonnie Raitt topping the respective bills at this year’s festival, which runs from October 4-6.

 In Clarksdale, the Rock  & Blues Museum, which houses the massive collection of Dutchman Theo Dasbach, hosts the free 2^nd Street Blues Party on October 6 and 7, and October 7, Cat Head Delta Blues and Folk Art hosts its tri-annual Cat Head Mini Blues Festival. The free event always features traditional blues, and this year the lineup will include Big George Brock and Robert “Wolfman” Belfour.

Visit Mississippi Delta for more information.

For more information about top events in Mississippi take a look at the Top Events USA selection of the annual main festivals and events in Mississippi.

For more information about top events in Arkansas take a look at the Top Events USA selection of the annual main festivals and events in Arkansas.

For more information about top events in Tennessee take a look at the Top Events USA selection of the annual main festivals and events in Tennessee.

Mount Airy Celebrates Breathtaking Fall Season

Mount Airy’s Autumn Leaves Festival from October 12 to 14 marks the 46^th anniversary of one of North Carolina’s longest running and most successful events. This festival was chosen as one of the Top Twenty Events for October 2012 by the Southeast Tourism Society.

The roster of artisans and craftspeople covers such media as jewelry, pottery, paintings and textiles. The unique arts and crafts of more than 200 craftsmen line the streets with many demonstrating their talents and skills passed down through the generations.

Then, there is “Food for the Soul”, ham biscuits, collards and cornbread, barbeque, ground steak and more served with hospitality by local civic and service organizations.  It’s a walker’s paradise with visual delights and mouthwatering treats at every stop.

The festival showcases Mount Airy’s rich musical heritage, such as Old-time, Bluegrass and Gospel performed by local musicians on the downtown stage. It’s a toe tapping, foot stomping, hand-clapping kind of weekend where old friendships are renewed and new friendships are made. The Autumn Leaves Festival is a homecoming where guests become neighbors.

The festival began as a celebration of the end of tobacco and apple harvesting season over 40 years ago. Now, it celebrate the breathtaking fall season. Through the years, hundreds of thousands of visitors (nearly 200,000 people will frequent the streets of Mount Airy over the three day period) have enjoyed the true flavor of rural America and its distinctive character, rich heritage and scenic beauty.  

Mount Airy radiates with the spectacular scenery of the entire mountainside bathed in autumn reds and luminous gold’s set against the scenic backdrop of the Blue Ridge Mountains.  

Visit the festival website www.autumnleavesfestival.com for more information.

For more information about top events in North Carolina take a look at the Top Events USA selection of the annual main festivals and events in North Carolina