Saturday's Blues Festival Expects Crowds

Despite the song lyrics, it's summertime and the living hasn't been all that easy. After one of the hottest summers on record in the metro DC area, it's only fitting that Greenbelt mark the end of the season with a blues festival.

The seventh annual Greenbelt Blues Festival is scheduled for Saturday in Old Greenbelt. From noon to 7 p.m. the free acoustic and electric blues festival will take place in the big outdoor square at historic Roosevelt Center. Evening shows, from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m., will take place in the intimate back room of the New Deal Café.  Roughly 700 people are expected to attend the all-day event, according to Donald Comis, spokesperson for the festival.

It's that unique, outdoor-indoor setting that sets this festival apart from other area blues festivals and venues, Comis said. The Roosevelt Center is a green, shaded, open space built in the 1930s as part of President Roosevelt's New Deal.

The New Deal Café, which will mark 15 years in December, is one of several restaurants on the square, is serves Lebanese cuisine and is also a co-op music venue that features live performances just about every day of the week. That, coupled with a "unique mix of musicians with an all-star lineup," are what bring folks and volunteers back to the blues festival year after year.

"We all see it as a way to help the community," Comis said.

The festival is sponsored by Friends of the New Deal Café Arts (FONDCA), whose mission is to provide fundraising and other support for the performing, visual, and literary arts and cultural activities of the New Deal Cafe co-op, at the cafe, in Roosevelt Center and in the surrounding community.  

The festival has also received support this year from the city of Greenbelt, said Barbara Simon, the president of FONDCA. The non-profit has been sponsoring free concerts since 2002, with assistance from an annual grant from the city of Greenbelt, the Prince Georges County Arts Council and an annual donation drive. Because of this financial support, the blues festival is free of charge, with no minimum. The location also affords plenty of free parking. It's all about access to the arts and working together to aid in the preservation of Roosevelt Center.

"We are committed to the revitalization of Roosevelt Center as the historical center for community life in Greenbelt," Simon said. "We believe the arts play a vital role in this effort, and we work with other partners in the community committed to the same goals."

For Saturday's event, the restaurant even has a "blues burger" with a Lebanese twist on the menu as well as other specials to mark the event.

This year's performers include The Andy Poxon Band, Johnny Grave, Nadine Rae and the All-Stars, KERQ featuring Kevin Williamson, and the Capital Blues Ensemble. The DC Blues Society will also be in attendance, and there will be discounts on food and merchandise for members.

 Here you'll find a full list and description of performers, as well as the performance schedule.